


Escape Velocity

by Kerrigore



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Aliens with Terrifying Powers, Alternate Universe - Space, Bounty Hunter Jack, Flirting, Found Family, Jack 'Master of Subtlety' Morrison, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not the Space AU You're Expecting., Sci Fi Tropes, Space Bar Adventures, Space Pirate Gabriel, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-20
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2018-09-18 19:41:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 43,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9400337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kerrigore/pseuds/Kerrigore
Summary: "Escape velocity cannot be achieved between two bodies destined to be."Jack Morrison figured his contract, to capture or kill former war hero turned pirate Gabriel Reyes, would be his last. He just failed to realize what that could truly mean. When Jack becomes afflicted by an incurable alien infection, the only one who can help him turns out to be the very man he's hunting, and Jack is forced to make a choice...





	1. Adrift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did an illustration for this fic. [Found here.](http://kerrigore.tumblr.com/post/156131642045/escape-velocity-cannot-be-achieved-between-two)

Jack wasn’t supposed to be on the ship, huddled amongst the refugees: the remnants of broken and dead planets ravaged by a conflict beyond their control. Shadows shrouded the faces of the fearful, of children clinging to parents, of lovers locked in embrace, hidden away in the belly of a freight cruiser. The compartment they were in was beneath stacks of cargo, food supplies mostly, en route to a neutral station just outside of Overwatch Alliance protected space and their blockade. Jack didn’t belong with these people, or their hopes for safety.

They’d all come willingly, brought in by smaller craft from other smuggling outfits who’d managed to remove them from warzones; some with nothing but their dreams, and some with less. Jack empathized with them, but he wasn’t there to help. No, Jack was close to a bounty he’d been tracking for months, one issued by the Overwatch Alliance itself. He could recall the dossier word for word, as he’d read it many times on sleepless cruises through the stars. His target was a veteran with an awful large kill count, having been given the nickname ‘Reaper’ by his fellow soldiers, a hero some called him: a man named Gabriel Reyes. He’d gone AWOL during the Colony Crisis for unknown reasons six years ago and resurfaced recently as a pirate, having stolen an experimental vessel Overwatch was being tight-lipped about. There was a hefty sum attached to Gabriel’s head, alive or dead, which increased tenfold for the return of the ship. Jack figured it was more than enough to retire on, get him out of the game for good.

 _Would be nice_. He smiled a bit, though that quickly faded as he mentally counted all of the scars he’d gained over the years from blaster wounds, pulse blades, and narrowly missed explosions. It could be worse, he knew, and while the money was important, Jack had taken on this particular contract for a different reason entirely.

He pulled his bag, a black duffle, closer to his body, keeping his head down, features shrouded by a hooded cloak, disguised by a hologram. Gabriel’s ship, EX23-09, which he called the Blackwatch, had been spotted near this sector along the supply routes. It had robbed another freight cruiser just days ago. While normally Jack would be quick to chase in his own vessel (which he’d left at their destination), he knew it would be easier, and safer, to let his prey come to him.

These particular trade routes skirted the edges of enemy territory, of Tenebrel space, where supposedly the Blackwatch had been lurking. Whether Gabriel was bold, stupid, or something else entirely Jack didn’t know, but Tenebrel were creatures no one in their right mind would want to run into. They were what the refugees were running from, the beings of stars and fire who stole the lives of others so they could sustain, the ones who plunged the galaxy into decades of endless war. The ones who’d killed the Earth.

Jack sighed at that thought. His home was purged when he was a teen, and though plenty of other Terrans had managed to escape the massacre, they were scattered across the endless reaches of space. He was the only one on the ship. It was rare for Jack to let his mind wander when he had a job to do, but for the moment he allowed it. There were some days he grew tired of being alone. He wondered, when this was done, if he’d finally have time to find someone. Sure, he’d been with many partners over the years, but nothing long term, and few he hadn’t paid for. Anyone he’d ever had a meaningful connection with had died, either with Earth or sometime later. The universe was a big enough place though. There was someone out there for him, right?

He shook his head.  _Stupid thoughts. Distracting thoughts._ That was why he’d tried to keep them under control. _Focus on the mission._

But there was little to do. The only option Jack had was to wait. He leaned the back of his head against the wall and closed his eyes, focused on the sounds of those around him and the hum of the freighter’s engines.

 

* * *

 

“She’s a nice one, eh Captain?”

Gabriel sat in his command chair on the bridge of the Blackwatch, eyeing the faces of Jamison and Mako on the holographic projection that floated in front of him, illuminating his dark brown skin and even darker eyes.

“What else do you suppose she’s carrying?” Jamison continued. Gabriel tried not to pay attention to the embers burning at the tips of his straw-blonde hair, but still ended up wondering what project he was working on this time. Gabriel had given the go ahead for Jamison’s weapon experiments as long as he didn’t destroy any part of the ship. _So far so good._

“Doesn’t matter,” Gabriel replied. “It’s en route to the Lajalt Station. That’s neutral, if you’ll recall, meaning we don’t fuck with it.”

Jamison huffed, but didn’t push the matter further, at least not verbally. Gabriel could, however, tell that the gears were turning in the little firebug’s head.

They’d only gone after that freight cruiser a few days ago because it was carrying supplies intended for Overwatch, and being able to disrupt their lines brought Gabriel a small, yet accomplished sense of joy. “Jamison,” he continued. “We’re being paid to watch and ensure it gets there, that’s all.” His gaze narrowed. “We are _not_ robbing a ship full of refugees.” Military, rich dignitaries, even other criminals: all fair game, but not innocents if he could help it.

“Captain you’re no fun,” he said.

Gabriel chuckled. “I guess not today, no.”

“He’s got a point,” Sombra chimed in from her place at the communications and sensory hub to his right. Her elbow was on the console, chin resting in her palm, tapping her electric purple nails against her cheek. “As much as I love watching this slow ass ship there are much juicier targets within easy jump distance.”

“Pick one out,” Gabriel said, leaning back in his chair. He wore a broad-shouldered long coat with a high collar. It fastened with buckles, though he usually didn’t bother. His clawed gauntlets, made of nanites, had retracted into a pair of wrist implants beneath the heavy black sleeves. He crossed his legs, which sported silver greaves, scratched and mottled by scorch marks; remnants from his time at war. “We’ll head there after this job’s complete and we check back in with our keeper. Jesse,” he looked over his shoulder at his first mate, who tipped the brim of his cowboy hat up in response, “what supplies are we short on?”

“None I can think of _jefe_ ,” Jesse replied. “We pulled in a good haul with that last one. I’ll check with Hades though. I’m sure it knows somethin’.”

“For the last time McCree, Hades is a he not an it,” Gabriel corrected.

“It’s a disembodied voice, sir, and it gives me the creeps.”

Gabriel smirked. “Hear that Hades, Jesse thinks you’re creepy.”

“Then I will not disappoint his expectations,” a smooth male voice replied, sounding as lifelike as anyone else on the ship. The sometimes difficult AI, modeled after the scientist who’d designed it and the ship, seemed to have a vendetta against Gabriel’s former 2IC and fellow defector. He couldn’t imagine why…

Sombra snorted. “You better watch out _vaquero_ , or Hades may turn the shower to ice on you again.”

“Hey now, that wasn’t funny.”

“It so was.” Sombra’s tone was mocking as she tried to mimic Jesse’s voice, “ _Ayudame, ayudame,_ I just found out Hell is cold!”

Gabriel laughed, stroking his beard. He remembered a scream that he swore had echoed throughout the corridors of the ship, and then Jesse had come running out of his quarters looking like he’d taken a bath in engine coolant, frost coating his hair and skin, icicles hanging off his nose.

“I’ll agree with Sombra, it was amusing.” Amélie said from the pilot’s chair on the level below where Gabriel sat. She barely turned her head, disturbing the collar of her flight suit, as dark as the reaches of space, a stark contrast against her skin, the pale blue of a distant, furious star.

“¿ _En serio?_ You never agree with me,” Sombra said, leaning over her console to stare at Amélie.

“Clearly a lapse in judgment on my part,” she said with a wry smile, though her golden-yellow eyes were bereft of emotion.

Sombra was about to reply when her console chimed. “ _Capitán_ , we’ve got company. The close-range scanners are picking up a sudden energy spike, and it’s massive, it’s–”

“ _Mierda,_ ” Gabriel stood, staring at the main view screen as a ship de-cloaked near the freighter, which was dwarfed by comparison. “We’ve got a Wraith.”

“What’s one doing all the way out here?” Jesse said, moving to stand beside Gabriel, fingers of his cybernetic arm tapping nervously against his own thigh.

“I don’t know.” Gabriel folded his arms. “My best guess is they’re looking for something.”

“For us?” Jesse quirked a brow.

“It’s a possibility.”

“It can’t detect us in this ship though.”

“That’s what we stole it for.” Gabriel nodded. _One of the reasons, anyway_. The Wraith reminded him, at least in shape, of a bird of prey, wings unfurled as it went in for the kill. It was a smooth, polished black with dark tendrils of red and violet energy creeping over its hull like electricity. Wraiths were the Tenebrel Empire’s cruisers: mid-sized craft with docking abilities for the swarm-like fighters attached to the underside of their hull. They were far less powerful than the hulking Leviathan war ships, but infinitely faster. As the Wraith lingered, and he felt his body tense, Gabriel slowly came to an understanding of what it wanted.

A tractor beam caught the freighter. Normally a Wraith wouldn’t bother with such an insignificant ship, and, knowing the cargo wouldn’t be of any interest to them, it could only be due to one thing: one of the Tenebrel on board was destabilizing and needed to feed immediately. And, Gabriel thought, it was likely someone important. They wouldn’t break a cloak so close to a neutral zone and Overwatch space otherwise.

“What are we going to do _jefe_?” Jesse asked. He was aware of it too. They both had spent enough of their years fighting Tenebrel to understand how they functioned.

Gabriel didn’t answer right away. He didn’t like it, and knew Jesse wouldn’t either. The freighter wasn’t going to survive, nor was anyone on it. Lone ships never did, and he wasn’t about to risk the lives of his crew for what would end up being sure suicide. These people were his family, after all. He shook his head, and a hand went over his mouth as he glanced around the bridge. Jesse was only twenty six, Sombra even younger at twenty one, and with Gabriel a few years away from forty, he felt more protective of those two than anyone rightly should be, and he wasn’t even the oldest one on the ship. That title went to Amélie, who’d just turned a spry one hundred and seven.

“We wait,” Gabriel said.

“But the refugees.”

“I don’t like the inaction either Jesse.” There were only six of them. The Wraith held a small army. “Unfortunately we don’t have a choice.”

No one on the bridge spoke for a few moments.

“We could use the weapon…” Jesse said quietly, uncertainty in his words.

“Absolutely not,” Gabriel was firm. “And before you try to question it Jesse, don’t. You fucking know why.” _You of all people understand._

Jesse only offered a nod in reply. Gabriel’s hand fell on his shoulder, giving it an assuring squeeze. “I’m not mad.”

“I know. I didn’t mean to suggest it... I just don’t like standin’ around watchin’ people die.”

 _Neither do I Jess._ Gabriel didn’t let his distress show, keeping his tone level. “You don’t have to watch.”

“Ignorin’ it is worse.”

He had a point. Gabriel sighed. “Sombra.”

“¿ _Si?_ ”

“See what you can pull from that Wraith’s computer while we have the time. Amélie, if she’s caught,” He heard Sombra scoff. She never was. ‘ _The best hacker the stars have ever seen’,_ she always said, “Get ready to warp us out.”

“Of course.” Amélie said, slender fingers gripping the controls.

“One back door,” Sombra cracked her knuckles, “coming up.”

“You need me an’ Mako do do anything there Captain?” Jamison said. His image had been floating around the entire time.

“Suit up and get ready for a salvage operation,” Gabriel replied grimly, falling back into his chair, affixed on the Wraith.

 

* * *

 

The freight cruiser lurched to a violent halt. Seconds after came the explosive sounds of screaming metal as many somethings pierced the hull. An alarm blared, echoing throughout the cargo hold and filtering down into the hidden space below. Jack shot up, nearly banging his head on the low ceiling. The refugees around him had burst into whimpers and harsh whispers. Soon there were hurried footsteps, cargo was shifted, and two hatches opened. Ladders extended down, slamming into the floor.              

“Hurry,” one of the crew members said, “We’ve been boarded. We need to get you to the escape pods, c’mon.”              

At those words the hold the refugees had been stowed in broke into chaos: crying, screaming, hands vying for purchase as they hurried up the two ladders.  Jack hung back, making sure everyone got out of the cramped space in one piece, also having no desire to get trampled. When it was clear he opened his duffle bag, removed his pulse rifle, and climbed out of the hold. The bulkhead doors to the cargo bay were caving, glow of violet energy boring through the thick metal.              

 _Tenebrel._ _Great,_ Jack thought, throwing off his cloak. He wore a bodysuit of flex armor, light yet extremely durable, a pair of gloves, and combat greaves. In response to his thoughts, Jack’s tactical visor appeared over his eyes, generated by the implants near his ears, and he aimed, waiting.              

The creatures behind the door would all be different, wearing the flesh of other races as their own, though their true-selves would manifest in various ways. Some would have hollow eye sockets in which the depths of space would stare back, some would glow a radiant violet, almost blue, that would illuminate their veins and rest in the backs of their throats, causing them to spit embers when they spoke. Most would have claws, fingers having become vicious points. As they moved, they would let off a haze of stardust, of shadow, and of smoke. His rounds would slow them, but in order to even remotely affect one, you had to disrupt its core, meaning their bodies would have to be completely destroyed, and Jack didn’t have the means to do that at present. He silently cursed himself for not being more prepared, though smuggling his gun on board had been difficult enough.              

Jack’s eyes narrowed, the door caved, and he opened fire, trying to stall as the refugees behind him funneled through a single corridor at the back of the bay to get to the escape pods. The freighter wasn’t designed to carry an extra dozen souls on top of the four-man crew, of which Jack noticed there were only two. The captain and his second were missing.              

“Go, go, hurry!” One crewmember shouted, trying to push everyone through. “Fit as many as you can into the pods or there won’t be enough for everyone!”              

The squad of Tenebrel surged forward, Jack’s shots having little effect on their front line. He swapped modes and fired off a Helix rocket. Some of them were brought to pieces, while others lunged, leaping and scurrying over boxes like crazed animals to dive at some of the refugees who hadn’t gotten through yet.               

Shrill cries of pain erupted and Jack spun around. One of the Tenebrel had opened its mouth wide, exhaling burning energy, a woman in its clawed grip, and Jack watched as her flesh started to peel off her face as it was sucked into the Tenebrel’s being. He broke into a sprint and bashed the horrible thing in the side of the head with his rifle, hearing a sick crack as it shrieked, releasing its victim.               

“Get her out of here,” Jack roared, continuing to strike it. Another refugee hauled her through the entryway while he tried his best to fend off the monsters.              

“You go too,” a woman said to Jack. She was one of the two crew members who now stood on either side of him, firing at the Tenebrel with their side arms, having had no time to raid the small weapons cache the freighter had. “The Captain’s going to overload the fuel cells, take this whole ship down and them with it. You need to get out. I’ll be right behind you.”              

Before Jack could say anything and turn his attention towards his escape, the woman was taken off her feet and slammed into a wall, skull turning to paste. Three Tenebrel converged on the man on his opposite side, tearing him apart. Jack went to run, but was nearly blindsided by a Tenebrel with a hulking physique and ram-like horns who tried to take Jack’s head off with its massive sharp-toothed maw, instead biting down on Jack’s pulse rifle, which broke in half under the assault, showering sparks against the floor.              

A small ship with a wedged nose rammed through the side of the cargo hold, and more Tenebrel entered the freighter. Jack ducked a punch, went into a combat roll, and ended up on the other side of his exit. He slammed a palm down on the door controls and the door started to slide shut until a massive arm pushed its way through, claws catching and digging into Jack’s forearm. Jack ended up on his ass and drove the heel of his boot into the damn thing to get it to let go. It slid out as the door closed.               

 _Fuck_. Jack stood, clutching his arm, fear creeping into the back of his mind. He knew what it meant to be injured by a Tenebrel, but he couldn’t let himself think about that. Not now. He had to get out, he had to… Jack suddenly couldn’t feel his arm, and as he headed down the corridor it felt like his life was being drained away with every step. Darkness seeped into the edges of his vision, and the room at the end became a blur. He thought he heard the door he’d closed get smashed in. Jack struggled to reach the only remaining escape pod, sliding into it with a gasp, briefly thinking how much it reminded him of a coffin. As it closed his ears filled with the echoes of inhuman roars. He managed to launch the pod as he slipped out of consciousness, world fading to black.  

 

* * *

 

The freight cruiser exploded in a silent fury, sending a shockwave into the Blackwatch. Gabriel braced himself in his seat as the shields took the brunt of the impact.

“Report,” Gabriel ordered.

“Shields are steady at ninety three percent and our cloak is still active,” Sombra replied. “I also managed to download a portion of their data before the explosion’s energy surge interrupted the link.”

“Good,” Gabriel said, standing. He walked forward and leaned on the back of Amélie’s seat. “Everyone still alive?”

He received affirmative answers from every crew member. They watched the Wraith launch several smaller vessels from its underside. They were gathering the escape pods that had survived the blast, Gabriel knew. The bodies were what they wanted: the flesh, the organic material to calm their chaotic forms. Only when all of the search vessels returned did the Wraith re-cloak and vanish into the cosmos.

“It’s gone. Tenebrel energy signatures have left this sector,” Sombra reported. the Blackwatch was the only ship in existence able to detect them under cloak; one of the many reasons it couldn’t sit in the hands of the Overwatch Alliance. Gabriel had had no qualms about taking it, and would give his own life to keep it from them, if necessary.

“Jamison, Mako, get out there, see what you can find, and don’t load up the cargo bay with junk, _please_.”

Jamison laughed. “Define ‘junk’ for me Captain.”

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed and he looked to the impossibly large man behind Jamison, “Mako, supervise.”

Mako gave a small salute and the screen vanished.

“I could vaporize him if it suits you Captain Reyes,” Hades said, the AI’s voice filling the bridge, “as he is a threat to mine and the ship’s integrity.”

“No, that’s alright Hades,” Gabriel shook his head. “I’ll do that myself if it comes down to it.”

“What do you think happened out there?” Jesse asked, focused on the debris field outside that had once been the freighter. By his tone Gabriel could tell he already knew, but just wanted confirmation, wanted to know he wasn’t alone in thinking the horrible things that were going through his head.

“They blew themselves up,” Gabriel replied. It was the most logical explanation, and he’d seen it before, during and after his time fighting a war he didn’t believe in. “It’s a much better death than being consumed by a Tenebrel.”

“I need a smoke, and a drink, and then maybe another smoke,” Jesse said. “You want anythin’?”

“After this is over, sure.”

“See you in the mess then.” Jesse said, though he didn’t leave the bridge until Gabriel had given him a nod.

“Jesse this ship is a non-smoking area,” Hades said.

“Keep tellin’ me that and you’ll find out why they call me Dead Eye. One plasma bullet right to yer central core,” he heard Jesse say from the hall before the automatic door closed.

“No wonder Hades doesn’t like him,” Amélie said.

“Yeah, no shit. You doing alright?”

“I am always doing just alright Gabriel,” she replied. “It will be that way for me, my people, and many others until this conflict has ended.” Her voice grew soft. “I do not blame you for not wanting to use the weapon. Such a terrible thing the Overwatch Alliance built… They should have never done it in the first place.”

“Psh, _dramático_ ,” Sombra chided.

“How you can continue to joke like that is beyond me.” Amélie looked over her shoulder at Sombra, narrowing her piercing eyes.

“ _Vieja._ ”

Gabriel pinched his brow. “Both of you stow it. Sombra, are there any life signs at all other than our boys?”

“Nah, nothing on the scanners, _capitán_. Looks like the Wraith got all of the surviving pods.”

“Oi, Captain, they didn’t get all of ‘em.” Jamison’s voice surrounded them. “We found one. There’s a guy in here.”

“I don’t think we need to be bringing in corpses, Jamison,” Gabriel said. “No matter how much you want to test explosives out on one.”

“Not a corpse. Computer on the pod says he’s alive. His vitals are way down though, so he’s gunna be one soon.” Jamison said with a small cackle.

“Get him in here then continue the operation. Sombra and I will take him to medical. Hades, take over the scanners, keep a long range one up at all times in case the Wraith comes back.”

“As you wish Captain Reyes,” the AI sounded excited if that were possible. Gabriel didn’t blame him. He’d lost a bet with Sombra and seemed absolutely miserable since. She’d beat him at chess, and gained exclusive access to scanner duty as a result, relegating the AI to more mundane tasks, like keeping her quarters clean. “Shall I also prepare the med bay?”

“Yes.” The AI was the only doctor on board, after all. Gabriel was trained some in field medicine, but anything more complicated than triage was beyond him. He got up and headed out to the cargo hold, Sombra’s soft footsteps behind him.  

 

* * *

 

“Here you go boss,” Mako said, setting the escape pod down in front of Gabriel with ease. He’d had it in his massive arms, having carried it out of the airlock instead of setting it up on a hover dolly. Gabriel never once questioned it.

“Sombra,” Gabriel motioned with a nod, noticing the pod’s shield was down. The blast probably took it out.

With a few quick strokes of the control pad Sombra had it open, top lifting with a hiss. She was the first to peer inside and immediately jumped back into Gabriel.

Gabriel’s hands fell on her shoulders. “What?”

“ _Mira_.”

Gabriel guided Sombra behind him on instinct and approached the pod. Inside was a man, a Terran, around Gabriel’s age: late thirties, with warm blonde hair the color of sunshine that was going white near his temples. His pale skin was marred by scars; two prominent ones slashed diagonally across a rather handsome face, which Gabriel would have taken more time to admire had it not been for the injury that drew his eye.

“Back up,” he commanded. “No one come near the pod.”

“What’s in there?” Jamison craned his neck while Mako kept him back with a strong forearm across his chest. “Aw, move it Mako. I can’t see.”

“He has Shadow Rot,” Sombra said flatly.

“Seriously? Shit,” Jamison back peddled, mostly clinging to Mako’s arm, who took two short steps back with him to cover the same distance.

The black flex armor on the man’s body was damaged. Gabriel noticed a distinct set of claw marks, which had dug a deep wound into his muscular forearm. It oozed black, and set against the darkness were flecks of deep violet light, which spread beneath the skin into nearby blood vessels, giving them matching a radiant glow.

“You want to close it up and jettison?” Jamison asked.

“No, you can destroy the pod after. I’ll handle this.”

“You’re kidding.” Jamison blinked. “You get I was talking about sending him off with the pod, right?”

“I’m aware.”

“Captain, he could infect us all, unless you’re planning to… oh… oh…” Jamison’s brow shot up and he jumped to lean over Mako’s arm, pointing into the pod. “Why this guy? Why waste the energy? We don’t even know who he is!”

“Doesn’t matter.” _I will not be idle when I have genuine options._ “I’m going to do at least one good thing today. Don’t question me again.”

“Yes sir,” Jamison said.

“Hades,” Gabriel said, reaching into the pod and lifting the dying man out, carrying his limp form in his arms. He was about as built as Gabriel; all shoulders and no waist, and he guessed about as heavy. “You got a lock on his vitals?”

“Yes Captain Reyes.”

“Keep it,” Gabriel then broke into a run, hoping he’d get to the medical bay in time to save the man’s life. _One good thing today, just one good thing._  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the first chapter of what's to be (another) long fic on my part. This will be updated alongside Twice Dead. I don't have a schedule for it; it'll kind of just be whenever, but I'm really excited to work on this (I gutted some of my original work/concepts to build the universe). I want to note that while this fic is currently M, it may get bumped up later? I do plan for some explicit content further down the line, so if that's not your thing, it's all good.
> 
> Done for Day 6 of Reaper76 Week: “In Another Life” - Alternate Universe/Timelines.


	2. Awake

Leaning against the wall with Sombra beside him Gabriel watched Hades inject their guest, who’d had weak but stable vitals for the past few minutes, with a serum. The hard light construct had taken its usual form: a tall man with slicked-back hair and a sharp nose who wore a genuinely unnerving smile across thin lips. Not very welcoming for a ship’s doctor, but Hades had said if Jesse thought him creepy he was “certainly going to look the part”, and Sombra, who of course thought it was hilarious, refused to make him change it despite Gabriel’s request. He forced himself to ignore it, gaze shifting to the man laid out on an examining table.

“Were we too late?” Gabriel questioned, arms folded across his chest.

“We will know soon, Captain Reyes.” Hades replied, loading another vial into an injection gun. “If he lives, I will need to synthesize a large supply of serum. Our stores will not be enough.”

Gabriel nodded. He’d figured as much. “Get me a chair Hades. May as well get started.”

Without any confirmation a small panel on the floor in middle of the room opened up, and a chair assembled on its own from compact pieces. Gabriel strode over to it and sat down, shucking off his coat as two drones came out of the wall: the larger had a collection tank, while the smaller flitted about, extending a pair of robotic arms.

“You will likely have to sit through multiple sessions,” Hades said, “once I know the stabilizing dosage.”

“I’m not used to you being so optimistic Hades,” Gabriel watched the small drone pull at his arm. He rolled it, flexing his hand into a fist, and the drone inserted a needle into one of the veins in his forearm. A black liquid with a shifting haze of red and purple, like a spray of stars, flowed through a connecting tube into the collection drone. “Figured you’d tell me to wait on all of this.”

“I am used to your unabashed altruism, and your stubbornness, Captain Reyes. I would rather not waste any of my processes arguing with you about it.”

“How thoughtful of you,” Gabriel chuckled, glancing at Sombra. She hadn’t moved from her place against the wall since they’d arrived. Her arms were folded and she blankly stared at the polished floor. He sighed, well aware of the reason. “Sombra, _estás bien_?”   

She didn’t respond immediately, and the only indication she’d even heard him was a minute nod. When she finally spoke her tone was solemn, “Jamison was right.”

“About the jettison idea?”

“No, about what you’re doing. You don’t even know who he is, Gabe.”

“Isn’t it your job to find out for me? Besides, “Gabriel smirked, trying to lean back in the chair only to realize it wasn’t going to budge, “I didn’t know who you were either when we first met, and look how that turned out.”

“I could have been a killer. I did have a gun.”

“Could have, but you weren’t.” Gabriel offered her a smile. _Certainly didn’t have anything to do with how quickly you were disarmed either._

Sombra shook her head and ran a hand through her neon purple and blue hair, “He just…” she motioned to the exam table, “this brings back things I thought I’d buried.”

“Did you want to talk?” He didn’t expect it. Gabriel knew how sensitive those particular demons were; he had his own just like them.

“No.”

“Well, you know I’m here if you do.”

A nod. She splayed her fingers out in front of her and several holographic screens appeared. Sombra tapped a few of them. Work wasn’t just a distraction for her, but a way to refocus. “Hades I need his bioscans.”

“Of course.”

“ _Gracias_. I’ll run him through our database,” _Overwatch’s database_ , “see if I can get a hit. He’s got implants,” Sombra pushed a screen towards Gabriel, enlarging an image of a scan. Beneath his skin near the temples were two tiny metal nodes.

“You’re not hacking them,” he said flatly.

“You think so little of me,” she chided, increasing the magnification. “Look familiar?”

“Military grade,” he said, flexing his fingers. He briefly observed the progress of the blood draw: the collection unit was half full.

“Which means,” her tone was picking up; the thrill of discovery seemed to have that effect on her, and he was glad it did. Gabriel liked seeing Sombra happy, “he was either enlisted, got them illegally, or he has a friend in a very high place.” She grinned a little. “And you know what one I’m hoping for.”

 _Whatever has the more interesting story._ “Likely rules him out as a refugee then.”

“Duh.”

“I could see him having been a soldier, once,” Gabriel said, stroking his beard. Their guest’s form was cut by a muscular bulk, and mapped with dozens of scars, spelling out his history in flesh. “Doubt he is now. No reason for one to be on that freighter.”

“Mmm, yeah I could see it too. He’s got pulse blade wounds,” the glow of an enlarged image of his left pectoral shown against Sombra’s brown skin. “Likes to get up close and personal. Looks strong enough to strangle someone with his bare hands or snap a neck, like you Gabe.”

“Sombra,” Gabriel said with a growl, a warning, but he’d do no more than that. She knew she was treading increasingly volatile waters. Before he’d been put on the front lines against the Tenebrel, he’d headed up a black operations unit for the Overwatch Alliance. “I don’t do that shit anymore.”

“Even so,” she said, “there’s only so many jobs old soldiers take.”

 _Right, space pirate._ He scoffed, placing a hand to his chest. “What I’m doing is very noble…” Gabriel shrugged, “some of the time.”

Sombra laughed.

“All of you went along with it.”

“We went along with you, Gabe. The rest fell into place.”

Gabriel stood, glancing at the two drones, the smaller of which buzzed around his body in panic at his movement. “Follow me.” Gabriel took a few short steps toward the table. The injection gun was empty, sitting on the edge near the construct’s vascular hands. “Well, it hasn’t spread,” he indicated to the injury on the blonde’s right arm. “Vitals still holding?”

“Yes Captain,” Hades said, his construct appearing to observe the injury. “He has had no negative reactions. Promising. I would like to monitor him for at least another hour before he is moved.”

Gabriel nodded. Stable. It was a relief, or would have been had the guy not looked like utter shit. The flesh around the wound had blackened, necrotic but smeared as if painted with ash. His blood vessels looked like a nebula, points of vibrant light sprayed across a blue-violet under glow, cutting through his skin like cracks through a gemstone. A set of claw marks cut diagonally through his arm like the scars on his face, and a faint dusky mist rose from the deep furrows. Gabriel brushed his fingertips over it without thinking. _Please live…_

Hades took notice. “You are concerned,” he said flatly.

Gabriel pulled his hand back, clearing his throat. “Hard not to be.” He didn’t say more, didn’t need to. The three of them knew first-hand what Shadow Rot did; seen enough people eaten away, turned to dust by it. He wasn’t about to let it happen to someone else, not right under his nose, not when he had a way to stop it. Granted, what they were doing was untested. The source of their serum wasn’t like what Overwatch had tried, in vain he would add. Their method wasn't one he’d been able to accept, or leave be, and like many things on the the Blackwatch, it would fade into memory, another stolen secret.

“I would reassure you,” Hades said, “but I’m afraid it would be hollow.”

“The thought counts.” The small drone removed the needle from his arm, leaving no mark as Gabriel quickly healed it. He barely noticed, unable to take his eyes off the blonde man, who looked serene in his state of unconsciousness. Had he done the right thing? “Hades, how’s Jesse?”

“In the mess. He is on his second bottle of whiskey.”

“Did you say bottle?”

“Yes. I will stop him before his BAC reaches dangerous levels, though by my calculations he will pass out in approximately 13.257 minutes if he continues his current rate of consumption.”

Gabriel sighed heavily, muttering a string of curses. Jesse never did deal with his problems well, but Gabriel supposed he himself hadn’t been much better. “And Sombra…”

“¿ _Si?_ ”

“I want him back in his quarters. Do not tell Hades to stuff him into random places on the ship again.”

“But he looked so comfortable in that wall panel.”

“Which he ripped apart with that arm of his. I already have to worry about Jamison causing potential ship damage. I don’t need anything more, _comprende?_ ”

“I am still confounded as to why you allow his reckless experiments,” Hades said.

“Me too sometimes.”

“Captain that does not make sense.”

“Welcome to living on this ship Hades,” Gabriel said with a smirk, “nice of you to join us.”

“But I have always li–”

Gabriel held up a hand. “Sombra, got any hits yet?”

“Not yet. So far this guy’s a ghost.”

Gabriel nodded, attention never having left him. The haze continued to drift from his wounds, and the longer he stared as it rose in twisting plumes, the thicker it got, filling the edges of the room to flow and surround the examining table. Sound fled then, the sudden absence jarring, not even the usual thrum of his heart in his ears broke through. The haze condensed, creating dark shapes with shifting outlines: bodies of men and women, brothers and sisters, companions in blood from a lifetime ago filling his vision, a crowd of mourners.

 _“Gabriel,”_ they said, voices a collective echo.

He tried to ignore them.

 _They’re burning,_ he thought.

An ultramarine fire danced deep inside their cores, embers pulsing beneath flesh that peeled and flaked into choking clouds of stardust, driven by an unseen wind.

 _“Gabriel,”_ they said. Their mouths spat flame. Energy crackled and glowed between their teeth, from the backs of their throats.

He tried again.

They only got louder.

 _“Why couldn’t you help us?”_ They reached out with disintegrating fingers. _“Gabriel…_ ”

“Hey, Gabe.” A hand on his forearm jerked him back. “Are you…?” Sombra was by his side then, looking up at him, expression sympathetic.

Gabriel briefly surveyed the room. Everything was normal again. “It was nothing.”

“I disagree. Your neural patterns were abnormal and your heart rate was–”

“Hades. Can it. That’s an order.”

“Yes Captain.”

“Smart ass.”

“But I do not hav–”

“ _Hades._ ”

He heard Sombra trying to stifle laughter. “Gabe, I found him.”

“Oh?” Gabriel turned to give Sombra his full attention. “Who is he?”

      

* * *

 

Jack awoke to numbness, to a blur of muted color, to light. He was alive, but, he shouldn’t be. He’d been attacked.

_Tenebrel._

He was dead. He had to be. No way he’d of survived. But then why was he breathing? Oh Gods, where was he?

 _Captured_.

Without another thought Jack pitched himself to the side of wherever he was. He heard someone shout and he fell, landing on a cold, hard floor. His world spun, and Jack heaved a mass of black sputum, flecked with iridescent blues.

“Hey, calm down.” He felt a solid warmth land on his back, rubbing slow circles as he continued to expel threads of ink. The voice was decisively male, smooth and rich, it was one he wouldn't mind falling asleep to. There was sincerity to his words, which Jack found soothing even as he struggled to breathe. “You’re safe. No one’s going to hurt you.” Jack felt himself slowly rise, and he was lifted into a bed, a blanket pulled around him as he fell back into soft pillows. “But you, idiot, need to stay in bed.”

Jack barely nodded as a damp cloth gently wiped his mouth and a container of water was set into his shaking hands. He didn’t even notice the small drone that had flown in to clean up his mess.

He took a sip of the water, and fought with himself to regain focus, staring at the bed until everything stopped spinning. When he looked up the first thing he saw was the handsome face of a man with smooth, dark brown skin, which was interrupted by scars. There were two over his right cheekbone, one across the bridge of his nose, a few small ones on his lips and forehead, though those were nearly hidden by his curls. A neatly trimmed beard sat against his chiseled jaw. In his eyes, Jack saw a shifting sea of dark umbre, of bronze, of golden-yellow.

“Gabriel Reyes.” The name left his lips before he could stop it. _Shit._ Under any other circumstance it would have been a fatal error, but Gabriel was well-known, his stories told throughout the galaxy, and that level of notoriety had some perks. Jack adopted a look of disbelief and said, “I’ve been kidnapped by pirates.”

Gabriel smiled, warm and reassuring, standing with his arms folded over his broad chest, stretching black flex armor. He shook his head. “Rescued, actually. I don’t think there’d be much use in kidnapping a Seraph security officer. We usually reserve that privilege for people with money.” Jack stared at him, and he laughed. “Relax. I’m joking.”

Jack knew he wasn’t. He noticed a chair behind Gabriel, which had been pushed close to his bedside. “How long have you… How long was I out?”

“Three days. Wasn’t sure if you were going to wake up.” He didn’t say it, but it was obvious to Jack that Gabriel was glad he was alive. Jack tried not to let his suspicion show. “Do you,” Gabriel sat back down, “remember what happened at all?”

Jack briefly squeezed his eyes shut. Yes, he remembered everything.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to press.”

“It’s fine,” Jack found himself saying. He assessed his situation. Gabriel had known his cover; probably gotten ahold of his file, so it was best for Jack to play the part. “We were en route to Lajalt. I’d been put on board to ensure everyone got there, and that there were no internal issues. Tenebrel attacked and I…” For the first time since waking he looked at his arm. It was covered by a black hexweave bandage, which blocked the light from the wound, though it stopped at his wrist. A few sharp lines extended to cut through the skin on the top of his hand. “You didn’t amputate,” Jack said quietly. “That means…”

Gabriel ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah.”

Jack gripped the container of water tighter. Death was part of his job. It wasn’t the first time he’d stood at its door, so why was he so… afraid?

 “It’s in your core mass,” Gabriel continued slowly, “but most of its contained to that arm, and in stasis.”

“How.”

“Trade secret,” Gabriel replied.

Jack scoffed, trying not to sound hysterical, “I should be dead. The Shadow Rot should have eaten through my body and turned me into dust. This isn’t something people just live through, Reyes. I deserve to know.”

Gabriel stared at Jack, brow furrowed in thought. He leaned forward with his elbows on his thighs. “Probably shouldn’t be telling you this,” _Then why are you?_ “But we have a serum. You’re on it. Before you get excited, no, it’s not a cure. It can’t get rid of the Rot, but it can stave it off.”

“For how long?”

“Indefinitely, as long as you’re taking it,” Gabriel said.

“So, I’m a prisoner here,” he spoke softly, “like I thought.”

“What?” Gabriel looked taken aback. “No.” He held up a hand. “Look, I’m not forcing you to stay here.”

“You said I need the serum to live, and as you’re presumably the only supplier–”

“I’ll figure something out,” Gabriel snapped, immediately looking apologetic, “I’ll get enough synthesized to last you for a while. You can take it with you. We’d have to meet up again at some point to get you more, but I’m not going to decide how you get to live your life Jack… Fuck, sorry. I got that off your file too.”

Jack regarded him with calculating calm. He didn’t trust Gabriel, but the man had had plenty of opportunities to harm him, and instead went to great lengths to save his life… Jack would accept it for now. His injury posed a problem though, and he’d have to postpone taking his bounty to find out how Gabriel’s serum was created. There was no way he’d be able to rely on the man after he was inevitably captured.

“I’m only asking you stay here while you recover,” Gabriel continued.

“Alright,” Jack agreed.

Gabriel looked relieved and motioned to Jack’s arm with a nod. “Doesn’t hurt, does it?”

“No.”

“If it does, just say something and we’ll fix it.”

“We?”

As if on cue a hard light construct appeared beside Gabriel. Jack recognized the figure as Alasdair Cromwell, the head designer for the Blackwatch, now deceased. “I am Hades,” it said, hands behind its back, “the artificial intelligence for the EX23-09, dubbed the Blackwatch by its current Captain, Gabriel Reyes. You are Jack Morrison, a member of the Seraph Trade and Commerce Guild’s security force. A pleasure. It is nice to see you are not a corpse.”

Jack blinked. “Uh, thanks...?”

“Was that alright Captain?” Hades asked.

Gabriel shook his head, “Good enough.”

“Venator Weir has requested an update.”

“Let her know her employee’s awake.”

“Of course.”

“You can go Hades.”

Hades gave a nod before the construct vanished.

“Sorry about that. We’re working on his people skills,” Gabriel said. “We’ve got a meeting with the Venator on Lajalt Station when you’re well enough to make the trip.”

“Why would she want to see you?” Jack asked, keeping his tone even. The Overwatch Alliance had bought Jack an identity for this particular job, and he’d been assured he wouldn’t have to worry about actually meeting anyone in Seraph, let alone one of the governing members. Granted, Jack hadn’t expected he’d be attacked by Tenebrel, lose almost all of his gear, and end up in a medical bay staring at the man he was supposed to bring in or kill if it came to it. _This just keeps getting better…_

“You were the internal security, we were the external,” he said with a heavy sigh.

“That didn’t go well, did it?”

“No.” Gabriel said, clearly not wanting the reminder. It seemed to weigh on him, and Jack had started to feel bad until he reminded himself of the things Gabriel Reyes was wanted for. “Didn’t for you either though.”

“I suppose not.”

Silence reigned between the two of them. Jack’s eyes drifted to his arm again, gently running his fingers over the bandage. He felt like a time bomb, and wondered how quickly he’d come apart if he’d missed a dose… It wouldn’t be long he was sure, so easy for him to just slip away. He’d been saved, yes, but for what? Jack wasn’t normally one to linger on things, but this was different than anything he’d encountered, even for a man in his line of work. The fear of what could happen would always be with him, and he’d have to live with that because of someone else’s choice. Jack knew he should be grateful… countless others never had this chance, but he was just…

“Reyes,” Jack said.

“Yeah?”

“Could I have some time alone?”

“Sure,” Gabriel said with a nod. He got up from the chair and said nothing more as he left. Jack leaned back against the pillows and closed his eyes.

 

* * *

 

“Bit of a rude sonuvabitch ain’t he?” Jesse said. He’d been hanging outside the door to the med bay when Gabriel walked out. “Didn’t even say thank you.”

“It’s alright,” Gabriel said, continuing to walk down the corridor. He heard Jesse’s steps pad after him. “He’s going through a lot, I’m sure, and I likely didn’t help matters.”

“If it makes you feel better _jefe_ , I didn’t give you any gratitude when you lobbed my arm off, granted I was too busy cursin’ at you. I came around though. He probably will too.”

Gabriel shrugged, “I’m not looking for gratitude Jess. I just want to know if I made the right choice.”

Jesse sped up and got in front of him, pressing the fingertips of his robotic arm to Gabriel’s chest, stopping him mid-stride. “You’re really questioning if saving someone’s life was the right choice? Am I hearin’ you correctly?”

Gabriel strafed around him and continued walking.

“Gabe! Hold up!”

He didn’t and headed away from the med bay towards the mess. No one was there when he arrived, and he took a seat at the bar, putting his head down against the counter top. A service drone buzzed around him, but Gabriel batted it away, not really interested in eating or drinking anything. He heard Jesse enter soon after, his presence beside him.

“Is that really what’s bothering you?”

“I don’t know,” Gabriel said with a groan. It shouldn’t be, but Jack had been cross with him, and it was bothering him more than he'd care to admit. He scoffed. Why should he even gave a damn about the attitude of someone he’d only just met, especially when that someone had nearly died and had every right to be emotional? If anything, he should have expected the reaction. Gabriel had made a career out of making decisions regarding the well-being of others. It was second nature to him, a part of him he hadn’t been able to shed when he left the military. He’d questioned himself all the time then, too.

“I remember, back when we were both enlisted, I asked you if there was a purpose to what we did. What was the point of saving someone if we’d just lose more people the next day? Do you remember what you told me?”

“Vaguely.” It was a lie. Gabriel just wasn’t in a talking mood.

“That we are nothing to the universe, but everything to the people whose lives we change through our actions. I’d rather save a life and make an impact for a moment than to never have the guts to do it at all,” Jesse recalled. “I’ve stuck by that, you know, and it’s your fault.” Gabriel felt Jesse fake-punch his shoulder.

“Guess it’s a good thing to be at fault for.” Gabriel lifted his head to see Jesse smiling at him beneath the shadow of his cowboy hat. “You need to shave kid.”

“What?” Jesse ran his fingers along his chin. “No way. I’m growin’ it out.”

“That peach fuzz?” Gabriel scoffed. “I’d be surprised if it does anything but grow in patches.”

“You wanna make a bet old man?” Jesse grinned.

“Jess, there’s no bet you make with me that you’d actually win. I am the authority on beards, if you’ll recall.”

“Tch, not for long. I bet I can give you a run for your money.”        

Gabriel sat up straight. “It’s your funeral kid.” The service drone returned and made a few beeping sounds at Gabriel. “Oh fine,” he waved it away with his fingertips, “get me a coffee. Black. Plenty of sugar.”

The drone flew around to hover by Jesse. “I’ll have a whiskey.”

“You’re not having whiskey at this hour.”

“It’s only 0800,” Jesse said with a shrug.

Gabriel glared at Jesse and then the drone. “Get him an espresso. He likes it with whipped cream and a cherry.”

The drone bobbed in acknowledgement before flying off.

“Extra whipped cream!” Jesse called after it. “Feelin’ better?”

“A bit.”

“You’re still worried.”

“I’m…” Gabriel frowned, “Is it really that obvious?”

“Well, I mean, you were in there for the three days he was out. Didn’t leave once. Slept upright in a damn hard-backed chair.”

“I’m guessing the blanket was you.”

“And Sombra.”

Gabriel nodded.

“Somthin’ else up?”

“No. We’re just trying out an experimental serum on an injury that’s nigh unstoppable, and I can’t help but expect him to turn to dust right before my eyes.” He didn’t tell Jesse he’d been seeing things again, or that those same things had come to him while he slept. “Other than that, I’m fine, mostly.” Gabriel decided to change the subject before Jesse could pry further. “I can’t say I’m looking forward to the meeting with Venator Weir.” Having to answer to anyone these days put Gabriel on edge, even if Seraph was supposed to be a neutral party.

“Not sure why she wants to see any of us.” Jesse put his hands behind his head. We sent her the report. She knows about the Wraith.”

“She wants to speak with me and her employee.” _With Jack._ Gabriel briefly thought about how terrified, how dejected he’d looked before he left the med bay, and shook his head, trying to send the memory away. _I did that._ “The rest of you can enjoy a day on the station.”

“Lookin’ forward to it. Sittin’ around out here hasn’t been very excitin’. You know Jamison’s got cargo bay two filled to the brim with debris from that freighter?”

He hadn’t been aware of it, no. Gabriel had been too busy watching over Jack and going over some of the information Sombra had pulled from the Wraith. He kneaded the bridge of his nose between two fingers, “Damn it. I told Mako to supervise.”

“Oh, he did. Jamison wanted to fill up four cargo bays.” Jesse held up four fingers then put three down. “Mako managed to get him down to just one.”

Gabriel let out an irritated growl as the service drone flew in. On the tray projected above its oval-shaped head were their drinks. Jesse and Gabriel took them, and Gabriel couldn’t help but smile when Jesse took a sip, leaving a line of whipped cream on his upper lip. Gabriel was about to drink his when Hades’s voice filled the room, “Captain.”

“What.”

“There is an issue.”

Gabriel stared into his coffee, watching the steam dissipate in front of his nose. “Please don’t tell me it’s Jameson.”

“No sir. Jack Morrison is no longer in the medical bay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey look, I wrote another chapter of this. More to come. Doing this between Twice Dead chapters. I really like space stuff.


	3. Side Effects May Include...

“Where the hell is he?” Gabriel demanded, flying out of the mess with Jesse in tow. He’d left his coffee, but Jesse was still trying to drink his expresso on the run. “I told you to monitor him.”

“And I am. He left the medical bay in quite the hurry for someone in his condition. I will have to reassess his physical capabilities.”

“ _Hades_.”

A small screen with a map appeared in front Gabriel, and when he reached out it reduced to fit in his hand. He glanced down at the blinking red dot a few corridors over.

“Live feed,” Gabriel said.

Overlaid on top of the map he saw a frantic Jack, eyes wide with unmistakable fear. _“Get the fuck away from me,_ ” he shouted at nothing, pausing to stare at the dead space of the corridor before turning around and bolting.

“Any idea what he’s been yellin’ at?” Jesse asked.

“No. Only that he insists he is being chased,” Hades replied.

“Gabe?”

“I’m not sure, Jess,” Gabriel said. _I hope it’s not…_ _What if I’m…?_

“His vitals are abnormal,” Hades continued. “I have been trying to calm him to no avail.”

Gabriel scoffed.   _I can’t imagine why that’s not working._

“You should know, Captain, that he has also been asking how he can acquire a weapon.”

“Don’t tell me you told him how to do that.”

“You wound me sir. I would not endanger the ship in such a manner,” he paused. “Or those on it.”

Gabriel shook his head. “Seal off the south end of the corridor he’s in. Be ready with a sedative, just in case. I’m going to try to handle this, but if it comes down to it I don’t want him hurting himself or anyone else, clear?”

“As you wish.”

Gabriel watched the security door come down over the bulkhead and Jack let out a string of “no’s” followed by several attempts to punch and claw through the metal. He and Jesse entered the hall from the other end, and Gabriel put a hand out behind him in indication, “Stay back Jess.”

“You don’t gotta tell me twice _jefe_.” He sipped at his espresso, holding a pinky out as he drank. “I’ll just be right back here.”

“What are you doing?” Jack shouted, looking over his shoulder. “Please, you have to go. _They’re right behind you._ ”

“Jack,” Gabriel said, holding a hand up, “there’s no one else here. It’s just you, me, and Jesse.”

“Ahem.”

“Hades, you’re everywhere,” Jesse snapped. “You don’t count.”

Gabriel ignored them, his focus entirely on Jack who looked like, if he had the option, would tear right through them to escape. He approached with caution.

 

* * *

 

_What was he doing? Why was he so calm? Why wasn’t he running?_

Jack’s eyes darted between Gabriel and the shambling, mostly humanoid figures around him, barely able to hear his own thoughts over the sound of his frantic breathing. They were all burning; brilliant energy coursing through their veins, boring out their eyes, erupting from their throats as they walked by Gabriel, reaching for Jack. Puffs of stardust billowed from their shoulders, leaving discarded flakes of their being behind, as if they threatened to crumble to dust with each step.

His screams echoed with a cacophony of ravenous wails and Jack tried to break through the door again, completely unfazed by the damage he was doing to his knuckles, leaving spatters of crimson with each punch.

It had to give. It _had_ to. Jack couldn’t stay there.

They were getting closer.

“Jack,” a hand fell on his shoulder.

He spun around and tried to slam his fist into the assailant. Gabriel caught it expectantly then forced Jack’s arms to his sides, gripping him at the elbows. “What is it? What do you see?”

“Let me go!” Jack roared, twisting violently to try to escape Gabriel’s hold. “Please,” he pleaded, “They’re going to kill me.”

Gabriel’s calm gaze met his. “No one is going to kill you,” he reassured.

Jack pressed his back into the door, eyes locked on one of the creatures. He was hunted. He’d lived when he should have died. This was punishment. It had to be. There was no escape. _No escape_.

“Jack!”

His eyes widened as a set of clawed hands settled on Gabriel’s shoulders, the creature’s face: twisted, mocking the living was grinning at Jack, showing off rows of jagged teeth. Jack went rigid. He didn’t notice Gabriel had released him, nor did he feel the strong yet gentle touch of hands on either side of his face.

“What do you see…”

The creature opened its mouth, craning forward, hot breath searing Jack’s skin.

“Hey, look at me,” Gabriel said, voice loud enough to break Jack’s focus.

Jack did. There was something off about Gabriel; he looked focused, deep in concentration. Jack felt different, like there was a connection between them. The skin where Gabriel’s fingertips touched was unnaturally warm, burning even, but somehow not uncomfortable.

Gabriel motioned to his right with a nod. “You see her?”

Jack nodded at the snarling, glowing corpse of a woman leering at him over Gabriel’s shoulder. How could he not see her?

“She’s not real.” _Of course she was._ “None of them are.”

Jack laughed a little, gaze drawn back to Gabriel. “Your eyes,” Jack spoke softly.

“What?”

“They’re… red…,” he tried to turn his head, leaning into Gabriel’s touch, “and I see…” Jack’s fingers brushed Gabriel’s cheek below his eyelid, “stars…”

His moment of peace was quickly shattered. Jack screamed again as the creature let out a roar and dove at him, going right through Gabriel. Something sank into his neck. The last thing he saw before darkness took him, maybe as it should this time, was a look of concern on a handsome face.

He supposed there were worse things to go out to.

 

* * *

 

“Was that necessary?” Gabriel asked with a growl. He’d caught Jack, who was deadweight against his chest. Gabriel looked over his shoulder at the construct. He was standing in the middle of the hall holding a sleek tranquilizer rifle.

“Entirely.”

“The rifle was overkill Hades,” Gabriel pulled out the projectile from Jack’s neck and held it up to see the dosage. “Nevermind. I stand corrected. _This_ is overkill. Did you need to give him this much? He’ll be out for the rest of the day, if we’re lucky.”

“He requires rest,” Hades said flatly, holding the rifle up to be taken by a drone, which disappeared into a briefly open wall panel. “As the medical officer on this vessel I outrank you on such matters, Captain Reyes.”

Gabriel grunted but didn’t try to argue. Hades was right. It was stupid; of course Jack needed rest, but, a part of Gabriel _had_ been hoping to speak with him again. Though Jesse’s reassurances had helped some, he still felt guilty for Jack’s situation, which had recently become far worse.

“Bring him to the medical bay,” Hades said.

“No. That’s not a good idea,” Gabriel shook his head.

The construct raised a brow, “Oh?”

“I think he’d be better off in a more comfortable setting where he won’t be waking up in the place he started hallucinating. We’ve got plenty of extra rooms in the crew’s quarters,” Gabriel said. “I’ll take him to one of those.”

“Very well,” Hades gave a nod. “I will meet you there and tend to his injuries.”

Gabriel picked Jack up off the floor, letting him rest comfortably in his arms. He deserved peace, not what Gabriel gave him. _This is my fault._

“Gabe.”

He took his eyes off Jack to find Jesse blocking his path a few feet in front of him. “You’re seein’ shit again, ain’t’cha?”

“Jess…”

“How long?”

“It’s not a big deal.” _Really, I’m just back to hallucinating dead people I couldn’t save again._

“ _Gabe_.”

Gabriel sighed. Keeping anything from Jesse was next to impossible; the kid was one of the most headstrong, determined people Gabriel had met during his military tenure. It was probably why he’d been assigned to Gabriel’s command, the higher ups believing his attitude could be curtailed… “Since we started camping out in Tenebrel space. It got worse when we brought Jack aboard.”

Jesse sighed knowingly. “Nightmares too?”

Gabriel nodded. “They never really leave. The rest comes and goes.”

“You shoulda told me,” Jesse tapped his chest with the thumb of his cybernetic arm, “or any one of us.”

“I don’t see the good it would have done.” _I don’t want to burden anyone with my problems._  

“For starters we could help.”

“It’s a nice thought Jess, but there’s not a lot anyone can do for me. My existence is far out of the realm of science at this point.”

“Hardly,” Hades said. “You are firmly in the realm of science, Captain, though I am still documenting your many anomalies.”

“Which you’ve been doing for six years,” Gabriel said with a slight smirk. “Glad to still be interesting.”

“I fear that may never cease, sir.”

Jesse motioned to Jack, who’d been more or less a comforting weight. It eased Gabriel’s tension somewhat to know the guy was still breathing. “Did he see…?”

 _The same shit I am?_ “Yeah. I’m guessing some sort of psychic transference through the serum, as wild as that fucking sounds.”

“Oh, a new anomaly.” Hades said joyfully, lacing his construct’s spindly fingers together.

Gabriel and Jesse both ignored him.

“Considerin’ some of the things we’ve seen you do,” Jesse said with a smile, “it seems about in line.”

Gabriel stared down at Jack and Jesse’s smile faded to a frown.

“Gabe. I still think you did the right thing. Stop doubtin’ it.” Jesse’s hand fell on Gabriel’s shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze.

“Yeah.” Gabriel paused. “I should get him in bed.”

Jesse side stepped to let Gabriel by him. He tried to feel confident about his decision, usually did, but as he carried Jack to the crew’s quarters he couldn’t help but wonder what else was going to go wrong.

 

* * *

 

 To Jack’s surprise, he wasn’t dead, but he was in yet another unfamiliar setting. _At least it’s not the med bay._

The room he was in was quaint, nice even, and he’d go so far as to say he felt safe. The bed he was on was situated in an alcove beside two small windows, which would have given him a clear view of the stars outside had the shutters not been closed. Soft blue lighting shone from above, embedded in an arced ceiling. The automatic door to what he assumed was the bathroom was to his left across the room. Lush plant life hung from stylized planters in the walls, leading back to a small rec area with a computer terminal, booth seating, a table, and a food and drink dispenser.

There was no sign of the monsters he’d seen earlier, though the quiet was making him uneasy, and he spent a while, probably too long, just looking around the room. When he got the courage to try and get out of bed, Jack pulled up the blanket.

The first thing he saw was his arm.

It was covered by a black sleeve, which he tried to pull off, but couldn’t get his fingers between it and his skin. The damned thing seemed stuck to him, extending from his shoulder to his fingers, cutting off at the second joint. It hid his wound from sight, but it wasn’t even close to discreet. How the hell was he not going to attract attention with it on? Jack growled under his breath. _Wish this wasn’t so obvious._

No sooner had the thought come to mind did the sleeve turn invisible, shifting to look like healthy skin. His skin.

“What?”

He instinctively touched it only to see the iridescent shimmer of thousands of tiny hologram projectors integrated into the fabric. They resembled scales, leaving an ephemeral trail as he dragged his fingertips across.

Jack activated his tactical visor, scanning the data stream that scrolled before his eyes. As he assumed, the control for the sleeve had been programmed into his implants, and he wondered if any of the less obvious security measures had been tripped. He dug deeper, but didn’t find any additional evidence of intrusion aside from an uplink to the ship’s AI so it could monitor his vitals. Still, he wasn’t convinced something else hadn’t been done. One of Gabriel’s crew members (Overwatch had only given him dossiers on Gabriel himself and his second, Jesse McCree, both of which he’d destroyed before beginning his mission) was a very skilled hacker. Jack intended to find out whom and do his best to avoid them, lest he be found out.

A hollow knock at the door made him jump, and he stared at it, frozen, expecting one of those creatures to come crashing through.

“Uh, sorry if I startled you. I’m not here to hurt you or nothin’.”

 Jack blinked. “Hold on.”

He deactivated his visor and searched for some clothes, realizing he was in his underwear. The thought that Gabriel had seen him like that hit him then and a warmth rose in his chest for some reason. _Stop._ Jack pushed the notion aside, chalking it up to embarrassment. There were no clothes to be found, so he resigned to answering the door with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. When he opened the door he was greeted by a young man with unkempt facial hair and a cowboy hat.

“Mornin’. You look better. How you feelin?”

Jack couldn’t help but scan the hall, letting out a sigh of relief. No one but Jesse McCree. He figured he’d at least be polite. People tended to be more forthcoming that way, and there were certain bits of information Jack needed before he could go after his bounty. “Head’s killing me now that I’m standing, but otherwise fine.”

“Good,” he held out a hand. The cybernetic one, which held a bag, was at his side. “Name’s Jesse McCree, finest sharpshooter this side of the galaxy and First Officer on this ship,” he raised his voice, “no matter what that damn AI says.”

Jack glanced at his own right arm then at Jesse’s hand. The image of Jack spreading the Shadow Rot to Jesse played in his mind, the man falling apart and becoming dust before him. “I don’t want this to spread to you.”

“Shouldn’t. Not with what you’re takin’. The sleeve is just so the others don’t freak out around you.” Jesse said, hand still out.

“And what am I taking?” _Way to be blunt._ Though, it wasn’t unreasonable considering the circumstances.

“That’s somethin’ you need to ask Gabe.”

 _Gabe. Gabriel Reyes saved my life. Damn it._ There was a lot he needed to talk to him about. Jack sighed again and took Jesse’s hand, shaking it. “Jack Morrison, wayward security officer and I guess Shadow Rot survivor.”

“A pleasure.” Jesse tipped the brim of his hat when they let go. He presented the bag to Jack. “Here.”

Jack’s brow furrowed as he took it, peering inside. There was a folded set of clothes.

“They’re Gabe’s.”

_Of course._

“You two have similar body types, so he figured it would work until we stopped at Lajalt. He was bringin’ them to you, but I offered, since it’s his night to cook.”

Jack’s stomach rumbled at the mention of food. He hadn’t eaten anything solid in days. When he looked at Jesse he saw the man grinning.

“Hungry? I can take you to the mess. Join the crew for a hell of a meal.”

 _Great…_ But, he couldn’t really say no. “Sure. Let me get dressed.”

“Take your time.”

Jack went back into the room. When the automatic door closed he slammed his palm into the adjacent lock control panel. “Fuck,” he muttered. _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

Being amiable was one thing, but actually spending time with anyone on the ship was another. He didn’t want to join them for dinner in what would likely be a close setting with him as the only outlier. He didn’t want to get to know any of them, especially Gabriel. It would just complicate the mission, as if it wasn’t complicated enough. _He saved your life, and he may have done it more than once._ A foggy memory of Gabriel close to him, of hands on either side of his face, and of a reassuring presence rolled through his mind. He’d felt at peace near the man, even if it had been brief.

_Damn it all._

His hands became fists and he squeezed his eyes shut. No. He couldn’t get involved, but Jack would be wrong to say he didn’t owe Gabriel his gratitude – _more, you owe more_ –, and he _was_ hungry, starving even.

With resignation he pulled the clothes out of the small duffle bag and put them on. The pair of grey flight pants were a bit baggy, especially near his hips, but otherwise fit fine, and the black t-shirt stretched enough for Jack not to notice a size difference. He slipped on the socks he’d been given, balancing on one foot. The only thing left in the bag was a hooded pullover, which he tossed on the bed before heading out.

“Ready to go?” Jesse asked. He’d been leaning against the opposite wall with his arms crossed.

“Lead on,” Jack ushered with a hand.

Jesse nodded and started down the corridor.

“Jesse.”

“Hm?”

“Do you know what happened to my boots? I don’t need them right now, but I’d kind of like to know where they are.”

“Not a clue,” Jesse shrugged. “I’ll check though. Hey Hades you disembodied bastard, where’d Jack’s boots get off to?”

“I would prefer not to dignify you with a response,” the AI’s voice echoed, “but the Captain has insisted I attend to our guest. Is there something you require Jack?”

Jesse muttered a string of curses and something that sounded like, “Gabe’s gonna hear about this.”

Jack shook his head, “My boots Hades. What happened to them?”

“Your clothing was cut from your body in haste to attend to your wounds, boots included. I can repair them if you wish.”

“Please.”

“Of course.”

Jack waited a moment before speaking again, turning his head to look at Jesse. “He seemed nice enough. Makes me wonder what you did.”

“Nothin’.”

Jack quirked a brow.

“No, really. How much do you know about this ship?”

More than he was supposed to, he was sure. He decided to go with what would be common knowledge, especially for someone in security. “Just that it had belonged to the Overwatch Alliance before it was stolen.”

“Hmph, bet you didn’t know Overwatch wasn’t even gonna use it.”

“I didn’t.” The information he’d received hadn’t mentioned that.

“Whole thing was decommissioned when Alasdair Cromwell kicked the bucket. Didn’t even get to fly. Now don’t get me wrong, Overwatch wanted to use this ship, but every time someone tried to power it on weird shit would happen. Lights would flicker or shut off, doors would seal on their own, all sorts of noises would come from empty corridors, and apparently someone got electrocuted from touchin’ a control console. The AI was completely non-responsive, so they figured they’d repair it, but no one could even get close to the core. After the first couple of deaths rumor got around that it was haunted. Twenty-two souls were lost before they gave up.”

“Twenty-four. I killed twenty-four,” Hades said. “If you are going to tell the story it is best not to leave out pertinent details.”

Jack stiffened at that. The ship’s AI was also murderous. _Fantastic._

“Anyway,” Jesse continued glancing up at the ceiling, “turns out Hades was just fakin’ and is actually just a homicidal asshole.”

“Overwatch was attempting to steal integrated technology from this vessel. I was in my right to defend it.”

“Doesn’t change what you did, or the fact you’re still an asshole.” He looked at Jack. “Seriously. His construct’s shown up in my room in the middle of the night just starin’ at me. Fuckin’ freaks me out.” 

“I assure you, Jesse, that was not me,” Hades said.

Jesse scoffed, “The fuck it wasn’t.”

Jack cleared his throat. “So, how exactly did you end up with the ship?”

“Because Gabe didn’t take Hades’ shit.” Jesse motioned up with a thumb.

“He earned my respect,” Hades said. “Captain Reyes was adept at thwarting my attempts to snuff out his life. He was the only one to actually reach my central core.”

“Ah.” Jack couldn’t say he was surprised by that. If he’d learned anything from his reading, and short time interacting with Reyes, it was that he seemed incredibly capable.

“We’re here,” Jesse said, motioning to a set of wide double-doors. “Hope you’re ready. It’s breakfast night.”

“Breakfast night…?”

Jesse answered by pushing open the doors to the mess. The room was large enough to be accommodating but small enough to be homely. It was shaped in a half-circle with an arced table and bar seating around a kitchen area. Jack noticed there were more plants set in the walls, though their stark greenery only drew his eye momentarily as he spotted the rest of the crew, most of which were, like himself, Terran.

There was a large man with a white pony tail who looked like he could crush Jack’s head with one hand, and a much smaller, lankier man beside him with a cybernetic arm, a peg leg, and wild hair that stuck up at all angles. A blue-skinned woman, a Viduuan by the look of it, sat beside another woman with neon purple and blue hair who had visible implants. She was showing the Viduuan something on a floating screen, which she seemed to manipulate with ease. _That must be their programmer._

Jesse took an empty seat near her while Jack sat on the end.

“Evenin’ Sombra,” Jesse said.

“ _Hola vaquero,_ ” Sombra leaned forward, looking down at the two men on the opposite end of the table. “Jameson,” she motioned to Jack with a nod, “I think you lost to Mako.”

The man with the peg leg groaned while the massive man laughed, rumbling deep, “You owe me three hundred credits.” Mako nudged Jameson with an elbow, nearly knocking him out of his seat. “Pay up.”

“Was hoping you’d forget.”

“Fat chance,” Mako said with a snort.

Jameson pulled a card out of his pocket. “Take it offa that.”

“What were you betting on exactly?” Jack asked, not entirely sure he wanted to know, but curiosity won out.

“Whether or not you died,” Mako replied, sipping a glass of juice. “And you didn’t so I’m three hundred credits richer.”

“Want to make the bet again? I’ll win this time.”

“Jameson,” Gabriel snapped. Jack was so transfixed on the rest of the crew he hadn’t noticed Gabriel at the grill. He was wearing an apron over a black t-shirt, and Jack could see the toned muscles of his back flex beneath it as he flipped a pancake. “If you threaten our guest again I’m giving him your pancakes.”

“Aw, you wouldn’t do that to me, would you Captain?”

Gabriel shot him a look, “Try me.”

Jameson made a dejected sound and hung his head slightly.

Gabriel laughed while Mako gently patted Jameson’s back. “Hey Jack, glad you could join us,” he said. “I’ll be right with you once I feed these guys.”

“Oh, it’s no rush.” Jack’s stomach said different. He saw Jesse grinning at him and tried to ignore it, unsure if his expression was due to the terribly loud sound his stomach was making, or the fact he’d been staring at Gabriel’s back. Jack averted his gaze and remained quiet while Gabriel cooked.

Jesse and Sombra were engaged in a conversation in Spanish. Jack had the ability to translate with his implants if he wanted, but by what he could recognize on his own it didn’t sound important: something about beards.

A drone flew in front of Jack, its digital display changing from a face to a drink menu, which Jack scrolled through, settling on some Thaeyot – a sour fruit that shared the same name with a race of alien lizards, and, oddly, was the same color – juice. The drone chimed at him before flying away.

“Alright,” Gabriel said, presenting two towering stacks of pancakes dripping in dark brown syrup to Jameson and Mako, “my famous Death by Chocolate pancakes for my favorite engineers,” he spun around, taking two more full plates off the counter. He set one in front of the Viduuan and the other in front of Sombra. “One order of Viduuan crawler pancakes, fresh and squirming for, Amélie.”

“Thank you Captain.” She cut into one of her pancakes and it screamed. Jack was the only one who seemed bothered by that.

“And for Sombra a short stack made with brown butter and cinnamon maple syrup.”

“ _Están perfectos,_ Gabe _._ ”

“ _De nada._ ” Gabriel said with a nod.

Jesse put his hands under his chin and learned forward, smiling. He innocently batted his eyes.

Gabriel shook his head and set a plate down that was more jam than pancakes.

“I knew you’d remember,” Jesse said.

“How can I not?” Gabriel casually tossed the spatula, and Jack watched it spin around in the air before he caught it. If he hadn't known better, he'd assume Gabriel was showing off. “Not like you’d ever let me forget.” Gabriel chuckled and held up his hands as a drone cleaned them with a sanitizing beam. He directed his attention to Jack while another drone delivered his drink. “You think about what you want? There’s not a lot I don’t know how to make. Used to cook for my unit back when I didn’t always have the best ingredients.”

“Is all of that synthetic?” Jack asked. “The chocolate, the syrup, and the jam?”

“Nope. Fresh.”

“So you stole them.”

"No." He was calm despite Jack’s tone, “We make everything from what we grow. I’ll show you the hydroponic farm later if you want. Are you familiar with the Svalbard Global Seed Vault?”

“I grew up on a farm. Father used to talk about it,” Jack said.

“Your employers raided it before the Tenebrel made Earth unlivable,” he paused. “I got a crate of seeds from one of Seraph’s higher ups as a consolation prize.”

“A consolation prize for what?”

Gabriel smiled but said nothing. Jack knew he wasn’t getting that out of him, not tonight. “Waiting for your answer.”

Jack briefly stared at his Thaeyot juice, a deep navy blue, and one thing came to mind. “Do you have any blueberries?”

“Picked them earlier today. You want powdered sugar too?”

“Please,” Jack said.

He watched Gabriel cook, completely ignoring the rest of the crew’s conversations. For a while he was watching Gabriel’s hands, but it didn’t take long for Jack’s eyes to wander to his swaying backside. Jack hadn’t even noticed that everyone else in the mess had left until Gabriel turned around and set a plate in front of him.

“Mind if I join you?” Gabriel motioned to the now empty seat beside Jack.

 _Shit._ Had everyone seen him staring? Had Gabriel?

“Go ahead,” Jack said as casually as possible.

Gabriel sat next to him with a plate of pancakes that looked like an amalgamation of the batter from everyone else’s meals. They ate in silence for a while, Jack glancing over periodically at Gabriel, who looked more uneasy as time went on. It was almost unfathomable that the great Gabriel Reyes would be nervous around him, but Jack figured there was too much on both of their minds for either of them to be comfortable.

“Reyes...” Jack sighed. “I wanted to apologize for earlier. When I first woke up I was an ass.”

“I understand though.”

“Still not much of an excuse,” he glanced at his arm before returning his focus to Gabriel. Jack spoke with sincerity. “You’ve done nothing but help me, and I’d be dead without your kindness.” He paused. "You didn't have to save me, didn't have to take the risk of bringing a stranger onto your ship."

Gabriel replied with calm, "I did. No one dies if I can help it." Gabriel still hadn’t looked at him. Jack was bothered by that for some reason. "You must have a lot of questions."

“Understatement of the day.”

Gabriel chuckled a bit, then Jack saw him smile brightly, showing off perfect teeth. That warm feeling he’d felt earlier was returning. _No Jack._

“There will be a lot I can’t answer right now.” Jack heard: _“I don’t trust you.”_ He didn’t expect Gabriel would; he was an intelligent man, and would be a challenging foe. The word “foe” echoed in Jack’s mind and immediately faded into nothing when Gabriel turned his head to make eye contact. “But I can’t stop you from asking.”

“True. Can you tell me about the serum?”

“No, not yet.”

“Thought as much.” _It was worth a try_. He took another bite of his food, chewing slowly as he sorted out his thoughts. “What happened to me in the hall? What…” Jack couldn’t help but pause to scan the room. Gabriel took notice. “What did I see? What were they?”

Gabriel visibly tensed. “Victims of the past,” his hand tightly gripped his fork.  He spoke slowly. “They weren’t for you to see, and I’m sorry you had to… I… I don’t know if they’re going to stop.”

Jack saw Gabriel’s face blank and he stared ahead, eyes widening as if faced with the abyss. He didn’t know how, but Jack assumed the serum was involved. As much as he wanted, needed, the information, he wasn’t going to press; the answer was much deeper than he’d be allowed to go, and part of him didn’t even want to. Instead, Jack focused on the rest of his pancakes.

“These are good,” he said. “Real good.”

That seemed to bring Gabriel back from wherever he’d gone. “The true test of one’s cooking is getting a compliment from someone who’s never tried it before. Though, I’m not sure if I can trust someone who drinks Thaeyot juice with blueberry pancakes,” Gabriel pointed at Jack’s drink with his fork. “What a taste clash.”

“Maybe you’re the one with bad taste Reyes?” Jack said with a smirk.

“It’s possible,” Gabriel said, taking a bite of the last amalgamation pancake. He washed it down with some kind of milk. Highly unlikely it was from a cow, but there were several alien species that came close to the taste. “I did make this thing.”

“That bad huh?”

“Nah,” Gabriel said. “It’s fucking delicious.” He cut off a piece and set it on the edge of Jack’s plate.

Jack eyed it and gave it a try. He’d normally be more cautious when it came to people offering him food, but Gabriel had no reason to do him any harm. _But he will,_ he reminded himself, as much as the thought bothered him. From what little he’d experienced in-person Gabriel seemed like a good man, and maybe he was, but Jack had to remember that even if that were the case, he’d still done some horrible things, punishable things. Luckily making delicious food wasn’t one of them. “Guess you win Reyes.”

“You can call me Gabriel,” he said, warm smile stretching soft lips. Jack gulped back some juice to try and cool the rising heat. Wasn’t working. “Only Hades uses my last name on a regular basis.”

“The killer AI.”

“I take it Jesse told you that story.”

“Uh huh.”

“The kid talks too much sometimes.”

“Likes to stretch the truth?”

“Not as much as you’d expect. Jesse’s a straight arrow in that regard,” he scoffed through his smile, “and almost only that regard. He drinks alcohol like it’s water.” Gabriel cleaned his plate and got up, offering to take Jack’s.

Jack shouldn’t want to talk to Gabriel, especially in friendly conversation where he likely wouldn’t get any useful information, but he couldn’t help it. He was easy to talk to. “So do you cook every night?”

“Planning on sticking around to find out?” Gabriel said.

“I…”

“Sorry. That was unfair of me.”

“A little.”

“I know you haven’t had a lot of time to think about that. You are welcome to stay, just as you’re welcome to leave.”

Jack nodded. Gabriel was right. He hadn’t really thought about it. He supposed it would depend on how his meeting with Venator Weir went. _Venator Weir_. One of the three Venators of Seraph; only outranked by the Arbiter and the High Consul. It was very possible that meeting would expose his identity to Gabriel, and then he wouldn’t have to make that choice because Gabriel would probably kill him on the spot.

“Jack?”

“I’m alright. Just thinking.”

Gabriel nodded in understanding, even though he probably thought Jack’s mind was on his injury and not his impending failure. He should just leave, but, no, that would just draw suspicion in his condition, and he needed that serum. Jack was suddenly feeling very tired.

“You don’t look so hot,” Gabriel noted.

"That an insult to my looks?" Jack said automatically.

Gabriel almost spit out his milk. "No, of course not." He cleared his throat, took off his apron, and stood. "I just meant you look like you could use some rest." Gabriel went over to a refrigerator unit and pulled out a sealed thermos, offering it to Jack. "Protein drink. Try and down it before you go back to sleep."

"Thanks. Good idea." Jack got up, but his legs were weak and he steadied himself on the edge of the counter.

“Need help getting back?”

“No,” Jack took a few shaky steps forward until he gained his footing. _Where did all of my energy go? I was fine before._ “I’ll be alright.” He was sure he didn’t look it.

“Mind if I walk back with you, just in case?”

“I’m not going to stop you,” Jack said.

“If you tried, you’d probably fall over.”

Jack smiled a bit. His next words just fell out, “Going to catch me?” _Shit. Did I really just say that?_

“Already did,” Gabriel replied, even tone.    

They walked back to Jack’s room in silence. It, surprisingly, wasn’t an awkward trek, but a relaxing one as they seemed to just enjoy the other’s presence. When they got to Jack’s door and Gabriel wished him a good night Jack realized two things: he liked being around Gabriel and securing this bounty was going to be one of the most difficult things he’d ever done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am doing this without an outline. This may prove to be a tactical error.


	4. You Weren't Supposed to See That

Gabriel dreamed of Jack.

He dreamed of him smiling. He dreamed of him laughing. He dreamed of him burning from the inside out.

In a sea of darkness and stars, of crackling energy, and swirling ash, Jack was engulfed by destruction and surrounded by the walking corpses of those Gabriel had lost to the Tenebrel. Lost, but not forgotten.

They converged on Gabriel, clawing at his flesh, whispering his name, and he, as he always did, fought back against the tide.

And the world erupted in fury.

 

* * *

 

Jack heard a scream, which was quickly engulfed by the roar of an explosion. He shot up out of bed and ran out into the corridor towards the sound. At the end he saw Gabriel fly out of his room, but Jack had to be hallucinating… again.

Gabriel didn’t have any legs.

Instead he was gliding across the floor, lower half billowing clouds of inky smoke and gleaming stardust as if he were merged with the cosmos himself. Jack barely had time to examine what he was seeing, because, in a blink, he’d vanished from view.

Without thought Jack hurried after him, carried by adrenaline, but he stopped when he saw the state of Gabriel’s quarters. There were no visible personal belongings, no plant life like in Jack’s room or the mess, and the entire place was a giant scorch mark with Gabriel’s bare bed as the epicenter. Jack’s initial curiosity was overshadowed by a wave of concern.

Something bad had happened in that room.

_Gabriel…_

He turned to leave only to smack into Hades’ construct.

“Going somewhere Jack?”

“Yes. After Gabriel.” He glared at Hades. “Move.”

“I cannot allow that.” Four identical constructs appeared, keeping Jack boxed in the doorway. Jesse’s story about Hades came to mind and Jack tensed, throwing his guard up on instinct. Though, he knew full well it wouldn’t do him much good in this situation should Hades act.

“The Captain wishes to be left alone.”

“Can you ask him?” Jack was tempting fate. The professional part of him was screaming, but the rest, quite frankly, didn’t care.

“Excuse me?”

“You’re omnipresent, right? Ask him if that’s the case now so I know you’re not parroting some ancient order because no one’s bothered to contest it until now.”

“I assure you, it still stands.”

“Ask anyway Hades. I saw him.” _I think_. “He’s not… something’s wrong.”

The constructs all affixed him with a hard gaze, mouths drawn into lines. “Very well. I will give you his answer shortly.”

“Thank you,” Jack said. He leaned against the door frame, feeling fatigued again, but he wasn’t going to let that get in the way of finding out what was going on.

 

* * *

 

“Captain.”

Gabriel didn’t open his eyes. He was sitting on a bench in the middle of the ship’s garden, smoking a cigarette. His fingertips were black, having hardened into claws, which he drummed on the bench seat. Tendrils of darkness mottled with points of red and violet light dangled from his head, cascaded over his shoulders, idly twisting and twitching. His face was a dark void; the only contrast being a row of sharp white teeth, set into a twisted grin that pulled up to his ears.

“What is it Hades?” Though he had no lips in this form, his voice somehow sounded the same. “It had best be important.”

“Jack Morrison is asking about you. He saw you sir.”

Not what he’d expected as far as problems went on this ship, though Gabriel supposed he’d been a bit of a fool regarding Jack. _Of course_ Gabriel had woken him up. The rest of the crew had orders to ignore his… outbursts… when they occurred. Jack wouldn’t have known.

“Shall I send him back to his quarters?”

Gabriel took a drag, watching the smoke turn back and wind around his index finger. “What state is he in?”

“He requires another dose of serum.”

“How many constructs did you spawn?”

“Five, sir.”

Gabriel chuckled. Jack wasn’t apt to just give up. He’d figured that much out about the man. He also wasn’t very subtle. The entire crew had caught Jack staring at him while Gabriel was cooking. He’d found Jesse hanging out in his quarters after he’d told Jack goodnight. The kid had the biggest shit-eating grin on his face as he told Gabriel the news, putting it so tactfully as, _“He was giving your ass the steamy bedroom eyes”_. Gabriel had been quick to kick him out then spent the time before he dozed off just sitting on his bed thinking about it.

He barely knew Jack. _That could change._ He was an attractive man: chiseled face, toned body, and a smile that somehow made Gabriel temporarily forget his worries. The opportunity for something more than just being acquaintances wasn’t lost on him, but, did he really want it?

It’s not like he hadn’t been with anyone before, but he can’t say he’d tried dating since he’d become The Galaxy’s Most Wanted. Sacrifices had to be made to do what was needed, what he’d promised, and he certainly wasn’t unhappy… _So why am I debating this?_

 __Jack's face instantly invaded his mind's eye.

“Captain?”

“Yeah. Give him his dose and show him the way.”

“Are you certain? You are not presentable, if I may say.”

Gabriel glanced at his claws, at the stardust trailing from their tips. “I will be by the time he gets here. Stay with him Hades. Don’t want him falling on the way over.”

“As you wish.”

 

* * *

 

“Ow,” Jack’s hand went to his neck. “What the fuck Hades?”

He turned to the construct holding the injector.

“You required another dose of serum. Your stabilizing dosage will be every forty-eight hours. I will add a timer to you implants,” he paused, “with your permission.”

“Fine.” Jack rubbed his neck. “What did Gabriel say?”

All of the constructs vanished but one.

“I will escort you to him.”

Jack nodded, allowing himself to be led by the construct, though he remained wary around it. The walk wasn’t long, and Hades left him at the end of a corridor at a set of double doors. When he stepped forward they opened for him. Jack was surprised to find himself in a room made up to look like a park. It reminded him of one he used to visit as a boy back on Earth, though this had a few too many alien flora to speak of, some of which looked rather vicious.

Massive flowers in a gorgeous chromatic array lined the bases of towering trees whose leaves dangled in vines. Between them were clusters of red plants that Jack could only describe as monster Venus fly traps. He made a mental note to stay away from those, not at all curious as to what Gabriel fed them. A pond was set near the center of the room, covered in blooming lilies and strange long-leafed flowers with teeth. Jack thought he saw something, or several somethings, slither beneath the surface, briefly disturbing the otherwise still water. A stone path led from the doorway and wound around the pond where Jack spied Gabriel.

He appeared normal, a soft glow from three artificial moons was painted on his dark brown skin. He was sitting on a bench in a pair of sweatpants and a sleeveless tank, legs outstretched. He was also barefoot.

“I woke you,” he said, patting the seat beside him.

“Are you… alright?” Jack asked, eyeing the spot cautiously. “Your room was… It looked like a bomb went off.”

“Kind of did,” Gabriel said, “You can sit Jack. You’ll be fine.”

Jack wasn’t so sure, and he remained standing.

“I wouldn’t have invited you here if I couldn’t guarantee your safety.” He sighed, rolling his head to the side to look at Jack. Gabriel appeared utterly exhausted, but not from lack of sleep. Instead, it was as if he was weighted down by too many burdens, keeping them hidden away for too long, and now the mask had fallen. It was a far cry from his cheerful demeanor at dinner when the crew was still around. _Why are you showing me this part of you?_

“Okay,” Jack sat beside Gabriel, keeping a bit of space between them as much as he wanted to get close.

“Hades is not very good with people.” Gabriel tapped the side of his neck and Jack put his fingers over his own, over the redness at the injection site. “Sorry about that. We’re working on it. Honest.”

“Why do you associate yourself with the AI as it is? Why not reprogram it?”

“He asked me not to. It was a caveat to me taking this ship. I gave him my word, and that’s not something I go back on, Jack.”

Jack nodded. He shouldn’t put any stock in Gabriel’s words, but he trusted him there. Jack eyed Gabriel carefully, searching for anything that seemed off, trying not to get lost in the hard muscles and curves of his form. Gabriel quirked his brow and Jack was quick to speak before he could, “I saw something else besides the state of your quarters.” Jack paused. Should he continue? It was entirely possible, given what had happened before, that he’d imagined what he’d seen... “Your legs were… you were… gliding.” Gabriel didn’t seem to react to that, so Jack continued, “You’re not entirely human, are you Gabriel?”

“No, I’m not,” Jack had expected Gabriel to lie, “but there isn’t anything more I can say on that matter for now…” _For now?_ Did Gabriel want to tell him? “It’s unfair to you, really. I know a lot about you from your file,” A file that was actually, mostly true. Only his occupation had been embellished. Not his past. “But-”

“It’s alright. I’m better off than you think,” Jack said, putting up a hand. “You’re famous, remember?”

Gabriel leaned his head back and blew smoke through his nose. He draped an arm behind Jack on the top edge of the bench. Jack pretended not to notice. “And how much of that is hyperbole? The legends are never like the real thing.”

This was a bad idea. A _really_ bad idea. He usually had more self control, but the first thing on Jack’s mind just tumbled out of his mouth, “So, what’s the real thing?”

 

* * *

 

 _The pair on this guy…_ Gabriel had to hold back the urge to smile. Yeah, Jack was flirting with him, and yeah, he found it endearing, cute even. Not that people flirting with him was anything new, but it was the first time in a long while that Gabriel didn't want to brush it off. He was, admittedly, picky when it came to partners.

“Been a while since I’ve had anyone ask.” _Pity I can’t say much._ He wanted to, but he had no idea if Jack was staying or not. It would be a waste of his time, and a possible information leak, if Jack decided to leave. He took another drag of his cigarette but stopped before he’d finished. The smoke didn’t do a damned thing to him but… “You a smoker?”

“Not since I was enlisted. But I don’t mind if you do.”

Gabriel shook his head and quashed the cigarette on the armrest of the bench. “Not used to having company here.”

"Private space?"

"A captain's got to have one."

A breeze gently rustled the leaves on the trees, causing them to sway. Jack heard what started as a whistle, but as the breeze picked up it became more like a soft set of voices, wordlessly singing in hauntingly beautiful harmony.

“Siren flowers,” Gabriel said. “They grow nears the shores of the mirror seas on Tanith.”

“It’s nice,” Jack said quietly. “Not just the song, this whole place.”

“Yeah. Took me almost a year to get it how I wanted. Hauling soil shipments was a pain in the ass, but once I had it set up and the flowers were picked out, the landscaping part was simple enough by comparison.”

“Wait, you made this area?”

“You sound surprised.”

Gabriel brushed his fingertips against Jack’s shoulder. He felt Jack twitch at the soft contact, but didn’t react further than that. Gabriel smirked a little. This was going to be fun.

“I’m not,” Jack cleared his throat. “It’s just…”

“Didn’t expect a hardened soldier would be a fucking master at horticulture?”

“Nah. I didn’t expect a pirate to be a master at horticulture.” His tone was wistful, “You really did good work.”

The complement brought a warmth to Gabriel’s chest he hadn’t realized he was lacking. He spoke with an open palm, “Well pirate is subjective, you know.”

Jack smiled but didn’t say anything. Gabriel was well aware there was nothing but disapproval when it came to his profession, which was expected from an outsider’s perspective. However, Gabriel and his crew knew exactly what they were doing and why, and there had been unanimous understanding. Maybe one day Jack would be able to know as well… _You’re getting ahead of yourself Gabe. For all you know his boss is going to give him another assignment when you meet her at Lajalt._ And then Jack would be gone.

He persisted anyway. “So what about you? How’d you end up working for Seraph? You mentioned you were enlisted? Your file did too.”

At that Jack laughed a bit, the sound reverberating through Gabriel’s bones, and that warmth spread. “Once, yeah. How in depth was that file?”

“Gave me the basics, but there were enough holes to make me curious about the rest of the story.” Gabriel knew he wasn’t being very open with Jack, and had no expectation of him saying much either. He also knew better than any the wounds military service left. It was none of his business what Jack’s were.

“I was a soldier, but only for three years,” Jack said. “I was discharged honorably after being bedridden for eight months with Verchemar’s disease. There was an outbreak in the barracks. A lot of us died long before we got to the battlefield.” Gabriel remembered that outbreak. Some idiot had smuggled in some alien fruit that happened to be carrying the virus. Overwatch had thought it was a bioweapon attack for a while. Gabriel wondered if some of Jack’s scars were from his battle with the disease, which carved nasty, oozing lesions into flesh and organs. He’d expected some hint of despair, but Jack’s voice was even tone. “I was lucky.”

Gabriel nodded. He sounded like he’d accepted that part of his past. “If it means anything, I’m glad it didn’t get you.”

“Came close. It took me years to get my strength back. I’d heard Seraph was hiring security, preferring former military, and since up until that point my only plan had been ‘be a soldier’, it sounded like a good deal.” He shrugged. “I’ve been doing it ever since. What about you Mister Legend?” Jack leaned back, resting his head against Gabriel’s arm. He had his eyes closed, peaceful, all tension drained from him.

“The history you’ve heard is true. Like you I enlisted at eighteen. Shot through the ranks quicker than a pulse beam. Was neck deep in black ops before I went to the front lines and became a war hero by killing more Tenebrel than one man has any right to.” He tried to hide his disdain. He hadn’t known better then…

“You saved a lot of people, according to the stories,” Jack said.

“I did.” _And I got a lot of people killed._

“What’s unclear though is how you went from hero to pirate,” Jack said bluntly. That disapproval was back, edging into his tone whether he’d intended it or not.

“And it’ll remain so.” Without really thinking about it Gabriel pulled his arm away, though Jack, as if expecting it, kept his head in the same position. His body slid down the bench and his head came to rest on the back edge.

“Hey, you’re the one who started this ‘I want to know your story’ shit. It was a fair question,” Jack said, miffed.

“You’re grating, you know that?”

Jack opened his eyes. The bastard was smirking. “I have a feeling you wouldn’t have invited me here if you truly thought that.”

Gabriel stared at him. This guy was something else…

“Look,” Jack sighed, sitting up suddenly. He leaned forward and put his elbows on his thighs, staring at the pathway at their feet. “I shouldn’t even be talking about this, but I know you’re wanted for murder.”

“Yeah, that’s not a secret,” Gabriel said flatly. Though, the circumstances surrounding that particular charge varied wildly based on the source. Overwatch had done a fine job painting him as the villain, and Jack seemed to have bought it, just like everyone else.

“And I’m…” he scratched the back of his head, “I’m trying to bridge the disconnect between the man on the wanted posters and the man who saved my life and cooked me dinner.”

_Oh._

Jack still wasn’t looking at him, but his shoulders were slumped and his gaze was distant. Gabriel frowned, holding back the urge to reach for Jack’s hand.

“I’m sorry I can’t help with that,” Gabriel said.

“Me too. Maybe one day you can…”

“What?” Had he heard that correctly? _One day._ Was Jack planning on staying?

“Nothing,” Jack said quickly, shaking his head. He turned away, likely hoping Gabriel didn’t notice he was starting to blush. No chance of that.

Gabriel smiled. _Probably going to regret this, but, why not?_ Calling him attractive earlier had been a bit of an understatement; gorgeous was a much better descriptor for Jack Morrison. He was blunt, a bit rough around the edges, but had a sincere kindness, even if it took a bit of coaxing to show. Gabriel would be lying to say he wasn’t drawn to Jack in a way.

 _What if he leaves?_ There it was again, the uncertainty. He shouldn't pursue this, shouldn't want to try; he had too much to do, but—"  _No._ Gabriel pushed the thoughts aside. He’d never gained anything through cowardice, and had no intention of starting.

“You tired at all Jack?” He found himself asking.

Jack froze. For a moment Gabriel was concerned he’d said the wrong thing. “I have too much on my mind to be.”

“You want to do something mindless?”

That blush on Jack’s cheeks deepened, and he looked like he was about to choke. Gabriel had to laugh to himself a little.

After a moment he replied, “Sure Gabriel.”

 

* * *

 

Jack was both disappointed and relieved Gabriel hadn’t meant what he thought he’d meant. He didn’t need to make a bigger fool of himself than he already had. What had he done, fishing for an in depth reason behind Gabriel’s bounty like that? He knew better. He _did_ … right? Jack sucked in a deep breath through his nostrils.

In most cases, dossiers didn’t give him the why beyond the charge, and it wasn’t his business to know, really, to question the client’s judgment. Jack didn’t make a habit of it, and at this point, didn’t need to. He’d been in the business a while, and had a vetted list of clients; law enforcement, people without criminal records, etc. Jack had standards; didn’t want to hurt the undeserving, the innocent.

Overwatch had told him Gabriel had murdered part of their science division on the planetary colony OW-12, and Jack wanted to know why. The Blackwatch had been kept there, sure, and Gabriel did steal it shortly after, but the ship had been in another part of the colony and not a soul aside from the scientists had died. It seemed odd he’d go out of his way to kill eight civilians and only incapacitate members of the security team.

It was selfish of Jack, but part of him wanted justification for the feelings he was having toward Gabriel, that he wasn’t falling for a cold-hearted killer… _Something that Gabriel has been the direct opposite of._

“Sorry Jack. Didn’t think anyone else would be up,” Gabriel said, arms folded. He stood beside Jack near the entrance to the shooting range, which was entirely open with no divisions.

The crew member with the peg leg and unkempt hair ( _Jamison was it?_ ) was there with a plasma cannon on his shoulder that looked far too large for his wiry frame. Jack pictured him toppling over as soon as it was fired. He was shirtless, wearing olive green flight pants and a matching vest, which sported various dark stains.

“G’evening Captain,” he snapped a pair of grubby-looking goggles over his eyes. “You’re a loon if you thought I’d be able to sleep after that explosive outburst of yours. Hades, pull.” A large piece of metal debris flung from a hole in the floor. Jamison fired, and to Jack’s surprise he remained standing as the chunk was reduced to a flaming ball of nothing at the opposite end of the range. Jamison cackled. “What a beauty.”

“That’s not debris from the freighter that was just destroyed by Tenebrel, is it Jamison?” Gabriel said, calm but his tone was not in the least bit amused.

“Nah… I mean…” Jamison shrugged. “Some of it is. It’s, uh, a bit of a blend actually. I was cleaning up the workshop earlier.”

Gabriel’s brow shot up.

“What. I was. Mako threatened to mash my head in if I didn’t. I happen to like my head.”

Gabriel let out a groan.

“Oh c’mon. I said not all of it is. I saved most of the good salvage. This stuff was just too damaged to get any use out of, so why not blow it up? That’s what you two came down here for, yeah?”

“Was planning to get some more standard target practice in, but yes,” Gabriel replied.

Jamison scoffed. “Standard. Hah. This is a lot more fun, and you barely need to aim.” He sneered. “You’d know something about that, right Gabe?” He held out his arm as best he could while supporting the cannon and used his other hand to motion as if he were loading an old pump-action shotgun.

Gabriel deadpanned. He looked about three seconds away from strangling him, so Jack stepped between them.

“I’m down to try the plasma launcher,” he said, gently pressing his fingertips to Gabriel’s firm chest. He dropped them away when he what he was doing, “It’s been awhile since I’ve fired one.”

“Think you can handle it?” Jamison asked.

“Better than you can.”

Jamison laughed. “Alright you bugger, you’re on.” He took the cannon off his shoulder, hugging it like a stuffed toy, and offered it to Jack.  

Jack was pretty versatile as far as weapons went, used to learning things on the fly in his line of work, and remembered well enough how to use a plasma cannon. Once he got it situated, checked to make sure the next shot was charged, and took a proper stance he said, “Pull.”

Another chunk of debris was hurled into the air and Jack hit it in one try, glancing at Jamison with a smug look on his face. He shouldered the weapon, stance relaxing.

“Alright,” Jamison had his arms crossed, drumming his fingers against his forearm, “not bad. Not better than me, but not bad.”

“Want to make a bet on it? I heard you’re real good at winning those.”

Jamison growled.

Jack thought he heard a chuckle out of Gabriel, which was all he needed to spur him on. Gabriel had wanted to shoot with him, so Jack figured he may as well show him a taste of what he could do. “Hey Hades.”

“Yes Jack?” The AI’s voice echoed.

“How many of these projectiles are loaded?”

“Twenty three more.”

“Good.” Jack assumed his stance again. “Pull three.” Three balls of metal shot out of the floor in succession and Jack hit them all. _Too easy._ He glanced at Jamison, who was staring to go wide-eyed judging by how close his eyebrows were to his hairline, so, just to prove his point, he then said, “Pull five,” and repeated the same action. Jack liked to keep his skills sharp, even if he had his tactical visor.

Jamison muttered, “Show off.”

Jack heard slow applause behind him and turned to see Gabriel beaming at him, his smile more brilliant than the brightest star. He nearly dropped the plasma cannon.

“Whoa, whoa, watch it!” Jamison leaned forward to catch it but Jack managed to correct his fumble. “Give me that.” He snatched the weapon from Jack’s hands.

“Nice shooting Jack,” Gabriel said.

“Thanks,” Jack motioned to Jamison with a thumb. “You want a go?”

“After that performance, nah, I’m good.”

“You sure about that Captain. There’s fifteen chunks of scrap with your name on it.” He sounded a little indignant. “Don’t let the newbie show you up.”

“Jamison do not goad me,” Gabriel said, folding his arms again as he leaned against the wall.

“I’m not goading.” He shrugged, flipping his goggles up onto his forehead. “I’m just saying,” he patted the side of the weapon, “You’re so good, you don’t even need this.”

“ _Jamison_ ,” Gabriel hissed.

“C’mon Gabe. You already woke him up, and he’s right down the hall from you. You’re telling me he didn’t see a bloody thing?”

“Well.. no…”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Gabriel pushed off the wall and strode over to Jamison. Jack had severely misjudged Jamison’s height when he first saw him in the mess. He was about five inches taller than Gabriel (and himself, for that matter), but the height did nothing to make him seem imposing, especially as he shrunk back at Gabriel’s advance, “Weren’t you the one who wanted to jettison him off into space before _and_ criticized me for saving him?”

“He what?” Jack shot Jamison a glare.

He was ignored. “Well, I mean,” Jamison tugged at his hair with one hand. “Can you blame me? No one’s ever survived Shadow Rot before, and it wasn’t like I didn’t think you _could_ do it, it was more like I didn’t think you _should_ do it. I trust you Gabe, I do, but I didn’t trust in him. Still don’t.”

“So why do you want me to show him _that_?”

“One, I think it’s fucking cool.” he held up a finger. “Two, you don’t practice enough,” he put the same finger to Gabriel’s chest, “and don’t lie to me and say you do. Three, what does it matter? If he saw you after an episode, and he’s not paste on the wall by now, then it’s already too late.”

Gabriel pinched his brow. “I would never do that.”

“Yeah, but you could.”

“Hey Jack,” he looked over his shoulder, “could you excuse us for a moment?”

“Uh, yeah. No problem.” Jack shuffled over to the wall as Gabriel led Jamison further away from him. He couldn’t make out what they were saying and decided to fix that issue using his implants. With a thought, his sense of hearing amplified.

“Of course I could,” Gabriel said. “There are a lot of things I could do but won’t.”

“Like talk about what you’ve been seeing?”

Gabriel’s posture went rigid. “How did you… You talked to Jesse, didn’t you?”

“We all did after dinner when we left you with blondie over there,” Jamison motioned to Jack with his chin.

A heavy sigh escaped Gabriel and his shoulders sagged.

“We’d planned on cornering you, but, hey, you’re here now, so I’ll do it and save them the trouble. You’re seeing dead people again Gabe, outside of the usual nightmares.”

“It’s not that bad, Jamison.”

“Like hell it’s not. You’ve got him seeing fucking Shadow Rot zombies too. I dunno if it’s something with his arm, the serum, or whatever, but if it’s that bad then we can’t really ignore it. We kind of all agreed you need to find someone to talk to if you can’t with any of us.”

“Jamie…”

“I get it. You don’t want to burden anyone else, but you already are. You get that? We’re worried about you.”

“Yeah.”

“Uh.. how’d Amélie put it?” He tapped his chin. “Oh yeah.” Jamison tried to speak in the most feminine sounding voice he could, “The galaxy’s struggles weigh heavily on his soul. This is not something we can easily fix.”

“I guess not.” Gabriel’s body language was impassive, but with his back to him, Jack couldn’t really be sure. He did feel a little guilty eavesdropping, not expecting the conversation to become so personal.

“Look, I’m balls at this stuff, and according to Mako, I can’t make the memories go away no matter how many times I think hitting you upside the head until they fall out of your ears is a good idea.” Jamison clapped a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder. “The point is mate, you’re stressed as fuck. For now your nightmare blow ups are contained to your quarters, but who knows if they will be in the future. You need to let go. Damn the consequences.” He shook Gabriel a little. “We’ll deal with ‘em, but not if you fall apart first.”

“Fair point.” Jack saw Gabriel glance at him over his shoulder again.

"You need to relax," Jamison said, motioning at Jack with his chin, "get some relief."

_Get your head out of the gutter..._

Gabriel let out another sigh, "That's not how I do things. Besides, I may not have time to try and cultivate whatever this..." He shook his head. "Jack saw..." A pained look had settled across his features.

“What? Think he’s gonna leave?” Jamison snickered. “Captain, he gave your ass bedroom eyes for a solid ten minutes.” _Fuck._ “I timed it. Doubt he’s going anywhere. Now c’mon,” Jamison pulled his hand back, “let’s blow something up.”

“Yeah,” Gabriel rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. “Alright, why the fuck not? Hey Jack,” he turned and any hint of sadness had been completely replaced by pure, powerful confidence, which radiated off Gabriel in an aura. “I guess I was wrong. I will give it a try, if you still want to watch?”

“I’m not going anywhere.” _I don’t want to._ “Show me what you’ve got Gabriel.”

Jamison practically skipped over to Jack, filing in at his side and jabbing his bicep with a sharp elbow, “You’re in for a real treat.”

Jack nodded. His gaze was locked on Gabriel, who’d taken some sort of martial arts stance he didn’t recognize behind the firing area. His muscles were taut, ready to strike. “Hades. Pull.”

Jack didn’t even notice the projectile being launched as Gabriel surged forward. A brilliant crimson energy manifested on his skin, flowing over it with the grace of water, shifting facets tinted black. The way it twisted and danced as it moved resembled fire, but there was no smoke, and in a blink it had left his fingertips, engulfing the debris in a starry explosion.

Gabriel called for another, and another, until Jack lost count, glued to the way his body moved, commanding his shots, muscles rippling with intensity. It was like watching a dance; all of the steps calculated, yet performed in a manner to make an audience believe he was nothing but a natural. Even in sweatpants Jack could see the solid form of Gabriel’s thighs, and he had to cross his legs to try and hide a growing problem.

 _Double fuck._ He covered his mouth with a hand. There was a distinct possibility Gabriel was a Scion. Scions were rare, could manifest in any race, and supposedly held remnant energy of a dead god, energy that accounted for a range of psychic abilities, including pyrokinesis, if that’s what he was seeing. They were often leaders, and were coveted by Seraph, whose entire governing body was made up of them, including the Venator he would soon have to meet.

How was he going to take this bounty if Gabriel was a Scion? Why didn’t Overwatch tell him? Did they even know? Or was this… intentional? No. That was stupid. The Overwatch Alliance had no reason to want him dead. The vast sum of money he was being paid was testament to that. It was more likely they had no idea. _I’m not equipped for this. This is suicide._

“Jack?”

He jumped. Gabriel was in front of him. _When did that happen?_

“You alright?”

“That was… amazing Gabriel. But how… are you a-”

A finger across his lips effectively silenced him, and Gabriel shook his head. “Not now. Let me know how your meeting goes. Until then, keep it to yourself, okay?” He took his finger away and Jack nearly gasped at the loss of contact.

He could only nod in reply.

“Thanks. I’m going to try and go back to sleep. You should too. We’ll be heading to Lajalt Station soon.” There was a look of longing in Gabriel’s gaze, but it fled before he turned his head to Jamison. “I know you won’t, but try to as well. There’s five pieces of debris left in the launcher. Have fun,” Jamison opened his mouth but Gabriel didn’t stop talking, “and no, before you ask, you’re not reloading it after. Hear that Hades?”

“Loud and clear sir.”

Gabriel shoved his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants and headed out of the shooting range. Jack went after him, adjusting himself when he was clear of Jamison. He hoped Gabriel wasn’t going to notice.

“Hey, Gabriel.”

“Hmm?” He glanced at Jack as he padded up beside him.

“You uh,” he cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his head, “want to walk me back to my room?”

“Sure Jack. I can do that.”

Jack felt his heart swell. Yeah, he was completely and utterly screwed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys are having as much fun with this as I am. Oh Jack, what are you going to do? Next up: time to visit the space station.
> 
> Thanks to Luke for beta reading this.
> 
> If you find any errors, hit me up: kerrgore.tumblr.com


	5. Lajalt Station

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo this chapter now has an illustration by the wonderful [Zenyr](http://dumpsterlock.tumblr.com)! :D Thank you!

Gabriel had only slept for a few hours before being woken up by another episode. He'd put a sizable hole in the wall to the adjacent room (of which was empty, as was any room close to his), and decided it would be best to retire to the aptly named ‘Panic Room’.

Centralized, it was the most heavily shielded room on the Blackwatch: the only place where Gabriel could completely unwind and not put anyone else at risk. He'd been there for two days; hadn't slept a wink.

His crew, of course, had been right. The dead that roamed the corridors of his mind were out of control. Gabriel should have seen that coming… He'd blown off shrinks while enlisted, and never bothered when he defected, even though he knew of a few beings who were more than equipped to deal with his problems. It's not like he hadn't thought about getting help, but other matters were far more pressing: the safety of the galaxy being one. And that should be elevated over his personal needs, right?

His thoughts fell on Jack. He must think so poorly of Gabriel… The last time he'd seen Jack he'd spent his time flirting with the guy only to disappear for two days right after without a word. He hoped Jack didn't think Gabriel was toying with his feelings.

_I'm not._

Gabriel was just trying to figure himself out, understand if he really could be with someone, and if he wanted to.

A sliver of light invaded his space, drawing his attention to the only entrance into the room, which had a double layer of secure blast doors down a thin corridor. It led to a small antechamber, separated from him by a transparent force shield, which he could see Sombra’s small form standing behind.

“How are you feeling, Gabe?”

“I'm alright.” His voice was an echo. It was true for the most part. He was completely relaxed, formless, expanding to take up all of the space in the spherical room. Gabriel wasn’t sure what he looked like then, he just knew the room was dark, and filled with points of red light, which played across Sombra’s dark brown skin. “How's Jack?” He asked without thinking.

“Not sure. He’s in with Hades now,” she replied. “Seems alright though. Jesse likes him; brought him to breakfast the past two mornings. He's been socializing with the rest of the crew.”

“But not with you.” Gabriel paused. “Is that his fault, or yours?”

She turned her gaze to the floor. “You know the answer.”

“Sombra…”

“Don't, Gabe.”

“You've already avoided talking to me about it once, _mija.”_

Sombra smirked, looking a little indignant, “I'll tell you what. When you deal with your problems, I'll deal with mine.”

He couldn't really contest that. They both knew it. Their individual struggles weren’t of the same scale, but that didn't make hers any less important than his. Not by a long shot.

“I don’t have anything against him personally,” Sombra added. “Just… be careful.”

“Why? Do you suspect something?”

“No.” Sombra shook her head. “I don’t, believe that one or not.” _Yeah, that’s a first._ “His background checked out. Venator Weir is expecting him. Seems like a decent guy, I just…” she sighed, “There's so much riding on what we're doing, and I don't want you losing sight of the mission for a pretty face.”

Gabriel laughed, sending a tremor through the room that he was sure Sombra could feel, because she placed a palm on the force shield to steady herself. “You think I'm that easily distracted?”

“Not yet, but I see how he influences you.” She pointed at him. “You don’t have a face right now, but you're glaring at me aren't you?”

“Should I not be?”

“Nope. You have every right to.” Sombra shrugged. “I may have had Hades show me your boys night out.” Gabriel wasn't surprised. He hadn't explicitly told Hades she couldn't watch the logs the AI took after his episodes to study him. She did have Hades under her thumb. “He's got it bad, and you're starting to. I'm not saying don't go for it if he's who you want Gabe, but you're already overwhelmed. I'm just concerned having something else to manage is going to hurt instead of help you.”

At that Gabriel decided to pull himself back together, his expansive mass condensing into his usual human form. It was still the strangest feeling, shifting like that; having a seemingly unlimited range on his senses, feeling like he was everywhere, only to return to a body governed by natural laws. It felt like being caged, and even after six years he still wasn't used to it.

Gabriel came to stand in front of the shield, and ran a hand through his curls. “I get it. I’ll try to get a handle on some of the burdens I’m carrying. I'm going to talk to Venator Weir about my nightmares, and the hallucinations, see what she thinks.”

Sombra chuckled, pointing at him, “You know what she's going to tell you.”

Gabriel groaned. “The less I have to see of The High Consul in person, the better.”

“What if he's the only one who can help you though?” Sombra placed her hand on an interior panel to take the shield down.

“He won't be.” Gabriel stepped into the antechamber to stand by Sombra. “Venator Weir is wise beyond her years. She'll know someone else who’s accessible.” And if not, he'd reluctantly accept it… maybe. He didn't dislike the Seraph High Consul; he was just difficult to deal with. _Understatement of the century._ Gabriel decided to change the subject before Sombra made him dive headfirst into it, “Did you get in touch with your contact on Lajalt regarding what you pulled from that Tenebrel Wraith?”

“I'll be talking to her while you and Jack are in with Venator Weir.”

Gabriel nodded as they walked single file out of the antechamber and through the first blast door. Sombra was in front of him. “Hopeful of the lead? It’s been awhile since we found another piece.”

“Seems solid. We’ll see what information I get.” She stretched a bit while they walked down the corridor. “We could all use the excitement though. How long are you letting us stay on Lajalt?”

“Depends on how the meetings go, what our window ends up being.” Sombra had translated some communication logs between the Wraith they’d encountered and a Leviathan. They were about the future missions of Overwatch Alliance transport vessels and their cargo, one manifest in particular having piqued Gabriel's interest. Sombra’s contact, an ex-cargo loader for Overwatch who currently did the same job for the station, would hopefully have more information. “We did delay going due to… well, mine and Jack's issues.” They went through the second door, ending up in one of the ship’s halls. “But we have time before our target is en route.”

“You know Jesse isn’t going to leave until we’ve spent an evening at Blue Nova.”

“That’s fine.” Gabriel said, “I think all of us could use a drink.”

“Or five,” she added, snickering.

“As long as I’m not the one having to carry his unconscious ass back to the ship, I’m all for it.” Gabriel replied, heading to the medical bay with one thought pushing to the forefront of the mire that was his mind: _I want to see Jack._

And it was what fueled him to walk faster to the medical bay.

When Gabriel entered the examination room he saw Jack sitting on a table in some of Gabriel’s borrowed clothes, his own boots having been repaired, clutching a metal case in his lap with his left hand while having a staring contest with the floor. His injured arm was bare, and Gabriel noticed he was keeping it away from his body.

“Hey, Jack,” Gabriel said.

Jack immediately perked up, a certain brightness shining in his eyes as they met Gabriel’s. “You’re okay.” There was relief, and was that fondness in his tone? Had Jack missed him? Gabriel stepped towards him and Jack’s expression shifted abruptly, trying to be more casual. “I haven’t seen you in a bit. Are you alright?”

“As good as I can be,” Gabriel said with a smile, trying to allay Jack’s concerns. “I assume you saw Hades?”

“Yeah.” Jack idly rubbed the back of his neck. “A few minutes ago. He said everything looked stable, and, uh, gave me these.” He opened up the metal case, revealing six micro injectors filled with serum: a red and black liquid, flowing and undulating with furious grace. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure Jack. What’s up?”

The door to the room opened with swish. “Jack I got your coffee.” He heard Jesse say. “Oh, hey Gabe! I— Ow, Sombra, what gives! Let go!”

“Not now cowboy. _Ven comigo._ ”

Gabriel turned to see Sombra had taken Jesse by his earlobe and was dragging him out of the room, spilling some of the coffee in the process. She shot Gabriel a knowing look before leaving him alone with Jack.

“Did I…” He shook his head. “Nevermind.”

Gabriel took a step closer, crossing his arms to keep himself from reaching out. “Jack, c’mon. You can tell me.”

Jack sighed. “Did I do something wrong?”

Gabriel’s brow furrowed. “No. Why?”

“Well you kind of disappeared for two days and whenever I asked where you’d gone or what had happened no one would give me a straight answer. The best I got was Jesse telling me not to worry, so of course I did the opposite.”

“Jack I—”

“Yeah, I get it. It’s one of those things you can’t tell me yet.” He averted his gaze.

There it was again. _Yet._

“Jack,” Gabriel said, voice soft. “I had another episode shortly after I walked you back to your room. It did some damage to the ship, so I locked myself away for a bit so I wouldn’t hurt anyone, and so I could… unwind.” _I want to tell you more. I really do._ “I didn’t mean to leave you hanging, or make you worry. That’s the best I can give right now.”

“Thanks,” Jack nodded, seeming to accept the explanation. He closed his eyes. The fingers of his right hand had curled around the edge of the exam table so hard his knuckles were bone white.

Gabriel stepped into Jack’s space and cautiously asked, “What else is going on?”

“You can see it.” He indicated by moving the elbow of his injured arm, though his grip on the table didn’t lessen any. It was still an awful sight: a stark, iridescent vein of blue-violet light that sliced through his skin, which was blackened and sickly, fading at the wrist to Jack’s normal pale tone. “Hades showed me the scan… The Shadow Rot poisons me, winds through my insides, and is poised to choke my heart. But, somehow it’s all frozen, locked in some kind of stasis.” His eyes opened, lifting to meet Gabriel’s sympathetic gaze. “Do you know how unnerving it is seeing something like that, knowing that no matter what you do it’s always going to be there? I thought I was okay, that I could handle it… I should be able to handle it, but…” He drew in a deep breath through his nose.

“It’s not so bad Jack,” Gabriel started, reaching out to run his fingers over Jack’s knuckles, testing to see how well the touch would be received. Gabriel watched Jack relax his grip, so he continued, moving up Jack’s wrist, tracing the raised edges of the now healed wound. “Just means you have someone looking out for you.”

 

 

“Does it?”

Gabriel nodded.

Jack’s eyes drifted to his own arm, paying attention to what Gabriel was doing. Gabriel slid his fingers to press them into Jack’s forearm, gently massaging the muscle in small, calculated circles.

“This doesn’t hurt, does it?”

“No,” Jack said. “I’d ask why you’re able to touch my injury, and why you’re not afraid, but I know I wouldn’t get an answer.”

“Not right now.”

Silence fell between them for a moment, the space filled with the sounds of their heartbeats. Bits of glowing ash the colors of Jack’s wound floated across Gabriel’s field of vision, swirling in a lazy mess behind the table, loosely condensing into humanoid shapes. Gabriel squeezed his eyes shut, willing the images away.

“What did you give to the serum, Gabriel?” Jack asked.

Gabriel stopped his motions. His hand lifted from Jack’s arm only for Jack to seize his wrist and guide it back down, wordlessly urging him to continue.

“It reminded me of the energy you made… Can you at least tell me this?”

He knew he shouldn’t, but the way Jack asked; sounding so desperate for an answer, even something small, made Gabriel unable to hold back the information. “My blood.” Gabriel’s hand moved to rest atop Jack’s.

“How did your blood stop…” He shook his head. “Forget it.” He sounded frustrated, though Gabriel wasn’t sure which one of them the feeling was directed at. Jack pulled his hand out from under Gabriel’s, speaking quickly, “Are you ready for the meeting?”

Gabriel stared at Jack’s hand briefly before taking a few steps back, figuring he’d gone too far. “I will be once I change out of my sleep wear.”

“Right.” Jack smirked, shattering the gravity in the room. He slid off the table and placed the metal case in a side pocket of his pants. “I mean, you could just go like that.”

He watched Jack’s smirk grow wider, and that, somehow, removed Gabriel’s filter, “Would give you a better view of my ass, wouldn’t it?”

“Yeah, it would…” Jack’s brow shot up to his hairline and for a moment he seemed to stop breathing.

Gabriel laughed a bit. In truth, he didn’t mind Jack looking, and wouldn’t be against him doing more than just that… _Where did that come from?_

“Fuck. I’m sorry Gabriel. I didn’t mean to—”

He held up a hand. “It’s fine.” Gabriel motioned to the protective sleeve that was bunched up on the examination table. “Need help putting that back on?” He didn’t expect it.

“I… sure.” Jack cleared his throat. “I would appreciate it.”

Maybe he hadn’t fucked up after all… Gabriel took Jack’s injured arm and helped slip it into the sleeve, which disappeared, erasing the Shadow Rot from sight. Gabriel smiled at Jack, and Jack smiled back.

“I’ll meet you at the shuttle bay,” Gabriel said.

“Yeah. Wouldn’t want to keep the Venator waiting.”

They separated, Gabriel releasing Jack’s arm as he turned to leave. He felt Jack’s fingertips brush his palm, and his smile grew, trying his best to keep any possible negative results of their meeting with Venator Weir out of his mind.

 

* * *

 

Lajalt was unremarkable as far as space stations went. It wasn't particularly large; a tightly packed city with a busy spaceport and active entertainment district, filling his view with floating, flashing holograms of neon. It was home to a few thousand at best with enough room to house the slew of weary travelers and businessmen who came to visit.

Jack would question why a Venator would take up any sort of residence there, if it hadn't been for the station's close proximity to numerous active trade routes, many skirting Tenebrel space, and, it was rumored, Seraph had brokered some sort of treaty with them. What they had to gain from working with a race of life-stealing, energy-based monsters who'd thrown the entire galaxy into years of fierce war was anyone's guess, but Seraph didn't deal in morality, they dealt in credits. The guild had dealings with Overwatch too, so he wasn't all that surprised they'd decided to play both sides if the rumors actually held weight.

“This is it,” Gabriel said, stopping in front of a three story building with a polished black front, gated entry, and gem sculpture work of winged, avian aliens reaching upward, a hologram of a sphere rotating in their clawed hands. The Seraph logo, a mass of multiple wings folded in on itself, was stamped above the doorway.

“It's not as grand as I was expecting.” He'd seen other Seraph structures before. They usually screamed opulence and excess, often dwarfing any other building near them. This one fit in, almost shrinking against the larger structures surrounding it.

“Venator Weir is grand in her own way,” Gabriel replied. He waved to the camera embedded in the front gate, which quickly opened.

Jack followed Gabriel down a short pathway, made out of the same amber-colored gemstone as the statues, trying hard not to stare at his backside, especially after he’d been caught red-handed earlier. _Gabriel had technically said it was alright…_ Jack hadn’t had much time to ponder a deeper meaning, if there was one, behind his words. _I hope so._ He drifted briefly to the memory of Gabriel’s soft touches before he was drawn by the sway of the man’s hips.

Gabriel was wearing his signature long coat. It was dark grey with metal spinal plating, hugging his powerful form, and matched his armored boots. Jack wondered how a man with enough sense to leave his giant stolen ship undocked could walk around in easily recognizable gear so brazenly, even if Lajalt was neutral territory. Though, Jack supposed, Gabriel’s entire crew was the complete opposite of ‘blending in’, and Gabriel did seem like he knew the Venator to some extent…

“You're quiet,” Gabriel noted as they reached the door, and were let in by two faceless heavily armored guards. Their helmets covered the entirety of their heads and were polished enough so Jack could see his reflection.

“Just nervous I guess. I've never met the Venator in person before.” _And this could easily be the last few moments of my life if she tells you who I really am, so there’s that too._

“Ah, well you'll be fine.” Gabriel looked over his shoulder at Jack as they walked through an atrium to a well-lit hall with rows of portraits on either side. He shrugged. “Just don't piss her off smart ass.” Gabriel shot him a grin before they reached a set of gold lacquered double doors. There were cushioned benches near it as well as two more guards, who let them in as they approached.

Jack's stomach dropped as soon as he set foot in the office, the feeling of dread only worsening as the doors slammed behind him. The office itself was normal with a contemporary look: an arched desk in the center, an impressive relief carving on the back wall of what he assumed was some multi-winged deity that looked strikingly similar to the Seraph logo, plant life crawling up stately pillars, and well-lit shelves taking up every bit of wall space. The contents of those shelves however, were another matter entirely.

They were filled with clear containers of varying sizes, and each one held a body part. There were all types — eyes, horns, limbs, cleanly decapitated heads, probably internal organs — from any number of alien races, and Jack wasn't sure what to make of it other than he didn't fucking like it.

Gabriel didn't seem to notice his tension. He was perfectly relaxed as he approached the desk, dropping into a bow before the small alien who sat there.

“Venator Weir,” Gabriel said in a tone that was fonder than Jack was expecting, “It's wonderful to see you again.”

“Cut the formalities Reyes and come over here,” she replied, standing.

Venator Weir couldn't have been more than five feet tall. She was an Avementis, a race of bird humanoids known for their beauty and thirst for knowledge; the curators of towering galactic libraries. She had a plume of red feathers on her head that were slicked back to look like hair, a large cracking beak with tooth-like serrations, and eyes the color of burning embers hidden behind large spectacles. A robe with a high collar covered her neck and slender arms. Her legs, which reminded Jack of a crow, poked out in front of a well-maintained fan of white feathers, the tips brushing the floor as she took a step away from the desk.

But, something was missing.    

Avementis were also known for their wings, and Venator Weir had none. Jack didn't know a lot about their society, but he'd heard wing removal was often used as punishment, or even worse: those born without wings were simply cast out.

Gabriel smiled and walked over to the Venator, where he embraced her.

“You know better,” she said.

“Sorry, Ludwig.”

She nodded and let go of Gabriel, turning her attention to Jack. “Mr. Morrison, by His Will, it is fortunate to see you are alive and well, for the most part.” She waved him off with a scaly, clawed hand. “Would you mind waiting outside? I would like to speak with Captain Reyes in private.”

“Yes ma’am,” he bowed his head out of respect, immediately catching that she knew more about him than her words suggested. He put his guard up.

“Refrain from making use of your implants in this building Jack,” she called.

Jack didn't look back as he hurried out, aware of Venator Weir’s sharp gaze on his back.

 

* * *

 

“Tipping people off to the security Ludwig? It's so unlike you to spoil surprises.” He was glad she had, of course. He'd tried to use his own implants in her building once, thinking nothing of it, and ended up with electrocution burns from the suppression system.

“I would rather not damage my employee's brain. May I offer you a drink, Reyes?” Ludwig said, returning to her high-backed chair.

“I'm good for now,” Gabriel said. The floor opened near him and a chair rose. He casually took the seat. “Going to meet up with the crew later at Blue Nova.”

She nodded, setting her hands on the surface of her desk and lacing them together. “The High Consul is displeased.”

Gabriel draped an arm over the back of the chair, sitting sideways. He crossed his legs. “What else is new.”

“It has nothing to do with the failure of your job. The Wraith was… unfortunate.”

_Not exactly the word I'd use…_

“He is distressed you are ignoring his contact attempts. One does not simply ignore a god.”

“Guess I'm special then,” he smirked.

“Unfortunately, you are.” Her tone was entirely unamused. “Which is why your course of action is foolish.” Her tongue clicked against the roof of her beak. “How have your abilities been developing?”

“They’re good.”

She stared at him knowingly. “You have barely scratched the surface.”

“I’m well aware, but I chose this path. I need to do it my own way, not anyone else’s, and absolutely not his. I don’t want him in my head.”

“There is more.” Ludwig said, even tone. While each Scion had unique abilities, they all shared an incredibly fucking annoying sense of keen observation, sometimes fine tuned enough to read surface thoughts. It was impossible to lie to a Scion, and Ludwig was one of the most powerful. There were three Venators, only beholden to the Arbiter, and, at the top, the High Consul.

“There’s always more Ludwig.” He shifted in his seat. “I’ll tell you if you promise to find me other options than the first one that’ll inevitably jump into your head.”

“Very well. I am listening, Gabriel.”

He took a deep breath, hands miming an armrest that wasn’t there, “I’m seeing them again. The ones I couldn’t save. They’re not just in my dreams either. I’m hallucinating.” _And so is Jack._ “And I’m having energy outbursts.”

“That is dangerous for someone like you.” By dangerous she likely meant deadly. And by deadly Gabriel was sure it was more along the lines of ‘What the fuck are you doing?’. He’d been fine until recently, taken precautions. His room was armored, but apparently that hadn’t been enough to stop him from piercing it the last time… How long before he blew up the ship? Jamison was never the real danger; it was him. “Has it been affecting anyone else…?”

“Well…”

“Who.” Ludwig leaned forward a little.

“Your employee.”

Her expression became one of mild disappointment. “What else are you failing to tell me?”

“I did something I wasn’t sure was going to work, well Hades and I did. Jack… When we found him Ludwig, he had a Shadow Rot injury.”

“His right arm.”

“How did you…?” Dumb question. Of course she knew.

“He was guarding it, keeping his body slightly turned in an attempt to block it from my view. He likely did not realize he was doing it,” she got up from her chair then, strolling around her desk to stand in front of Gabriel. “What did you do to save his life?”

“I didn’t think I could remove it,” _I don't know if that’s something I’m even capable of, “_ So I took a risk, made a serum using my blood and gave it to Jack. He wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t,” Gabriel paused as the weight of that statement hit him. He felt Ludwig’s hand fall on his shoulder, her touch light yet comforting. “But he’s been seeing my dead. He’s been fine the past few days, but while he was recovering he thought he was being chased. We had to sedate him... and…” _What if that happens again?_ Gabriel stared at the floor, remembering how terrified Jack had been.

“The thought of his distress bothers you.”

 _Deeply._ “So does causing harm to him, or anyone else of my crew. I need to know how to make it stop Ludwig.”

Her free hand fell on his other shoulder, and she looked him square in the eyes. “You know how to make it stop.”

He shook his head. “I said not the first thing that came to mind.”

“Gabriel,” her voice was stern and he watched the small feathers covering her neck ruffle. “Your trauma is something only you can decide to face, but the result of it is caused by a god. It will take a god to fix it, and there is only one other I know.”

“I just… Ludwig, I know what he can do. I don’t want to be opened up like that. I can barely talk about this shit with my crew, _my family,_ fuck, I’ve even had trouble talking to Jesse about it lately, and he fucking served beside me.” He laughed a little, glancing at the relief sculpture on the wall. “I can’t just lay it all bare to _him_.”

“Then open up to the ones you trust. Either way, you will not be able to avoid his help. Doing so may result in tragedy.”

“Like the refugees we lost.” He made a point to bring that up. He wasn’t going to sweep them under the rug.

She understood what he was getting at. “I am not unaffected,” She removed her hands. “But death is part of my business, as is life. Do you know why that Wraith attacked the freighter?” His answer had been in the report he’d sent, but Ludwig never fully believed anyone, even him, and likely wanted to see if she could glean anything off of his reactions.

“No, but you have my guesses.” Gabriel told her, shifting in his chair to lean back in it, legs straightened.

“Destabilization.”

He nodded. “I don’t know who, but it’s what makes the most sense.”

Ludwig paced for a moment and then waved a hand. The lights dimmed and a hologram of the trade routes in the sector appeared in the space between him and her desk. Five red markers blinked into being at various locations. “These are recent instances of other attacks in neutral space. Your vessel was the only one to explode. The rest were left adrift, void of any life. What I am about to tell you does not leave this room, understood?”

“Clearly.”

“As you are aware, we have treaties with several members of the Tenebrel’s aristocracy to ensure the safety of our craft, and others skirting the edges of their space.” _Treaties._ He scoffed a bit. More like ensuring their governing members and others with power had a steady stream of kicking, screaming lifeforms to eat. Contrary to popular belief the Overwatch Alliance only owned a few of the galaxy’s prisons. The rest fell under Seraph’s wings. “However, we have been unsuccessful in brokering a deal with the Council member who governs that area of space. Unreachable, apparently. We believe there is something going on internally.”

“A coup?”

“Perhaps. They are at war. Regardless, Reyes,” she stepped through the hologram and it vanished. “The Tenebrel have not given up on finding you. They know better than to attack a station, especially any we have a stronghold in, but be wary of revealing yourself elsewhere.”

Gabriel nodded. “Thank you, Ludwig.”

“Do not say that just yet.”

His eyes narrowed. “What?”

“Well, since you did fail your mission—”

“You know I can’t control a Wraith.”

“You are still in debt to the High Consul.”

Gabriel’s posture fell, nearly sliding out of the chair, and he groaned.

“It is not my fault you lost that bet.” She reminded him. It was impossible to forget, as the story had become something of a legend amongst Seraph’s ranks.

“I was young and impulsive and probably drunk,” he paused. “Okay, very drunk, and it was twelve years ago,” he exclaimed, pointing at her. “And your High Consul fucking cheated.”

“I do not call using one’s gifts cheating. You were just unprepared,” she said pointedly.

“C’mon. He fucking read my mind Ludwig!” That, and Gabriel had no idea at the time who he was actually attempting to beat in a rousing game of Atellian Deception, which sounded serious but was actually a modified version of Texas Hold’em. And Gabriel had been on winning streak...

“Yes, and even living a life of crime you are still in debt. I will be sending you a new assignment. This one should be much less stressful. Go enjoy your time at Blue Nova. Tell the bartender to put it on my tab, whatever you and your crew desire.”

Gabriel stood, straightening his coat.“Thanks.”

“Do not bother waiting for Mr. Morrison. I have much to discuss with him, but will send him along when we are finished.”

He nodded. “Just don’t keep him all night.” Gabriel almost asked her if she planned to reassign Jack, but didn’t bother, knowing he had no control over her choices. Instead, he hugged her again and left.

 

* * *

 

“Hey, Gabriel,” Jack said immediately, lifting his head. He’d been sitting on one of the cushioned benches along the wall, staring at the intricate patterns woven into the carpet. He couldn’t recall a time when he’d been so nervous.

“She’s ready for you,” he motioned inside the office with a nod. “We’re meeting at Blue Nova after. Drinks are on her. You going to join us?”

Jack stood. “I’d like to, yeah.”

“Alright, good.” Gabriel seemed to force a smile, and it made Jack even more nervous. “See you then.” His gaze lingered on Jack a moment or two more, and as he walked away Jack felt like he wasn’t going to see Gabriel again.

 _That’s nonsense, you’ll be fine._ He took a deep breath, slipping back into a professional persona, and stepped inside.

As soon as the doors shut behind him a golden force shield encased his head and two more slipped over his arms, stopping at the elbows. He didn’t dare move, feeling the pressure of their edges on his body, aware that a single wrong move would cause them to completely close, slicing off his forearms and head.

His attention was focused on Venator Weir, who stood in the middle of her office, hands behind her back, feathery brows raised in amusement. “I know who you are Seventy-Six, and I am not happy about it.”

“I don’t expect it,” he said, stowing his fear. It normally would have been easy for him to do, but the idea of him dying before he was even able to tell Gabriel about how he felt made him feel like crying. “But my background as a Seraph employee was purchased by the Overwatch Alliance, legally. You can check the transaction yourself.”

“I have seen the record,” she approached him, puffing her chest out and turning up her beak. Some of the smaller red feathers that made up her plume of hair lifted.

Jack glowered down at her. He wasn’t going to let himself be intimidated, even if she could literally rip him to pieces. “And the broker for that transaction will be dealt with. It is not one I would have authorized.”

“But it _was_ authorized. You can’t go back on completed transactions.” He was well aware of Seraph protocol, and to them, a deal was a deal. Once made, that was sacred.

“Sadly,” she rolled her wrist, speaking with an upturned palm. “You are correct.” She snapped her head towards him and the three shield bubbles vanished only to be replaced with a larger one that engulfed his entire body, trapping him, constricting to force Jack to sit on his knees. He was almost bowing to her. “But you see, bounty hunter, while I am an honorable woman, I am not always a merciful one, especially when those I deem worthy are threatened. And you are a threat to Gabriel. Give me a reason why I shouldn’t kill you.”

Jack felt the shield bubble around him shrink, forcing him into an even smaller space. He pressed against it with flat palms, but there was no way he’d be able to stop it from crushing him to death. “Enough Venator.”

“Clock is ticking,” she said, examining her nails. “You will be far from the first to become a stain on my rug.”

The shield was shrinking slowly, and Jack knew it was purposeful, giving him time to provide her with a response, but the thing was, he didn’t have much to say to her. She had every reason to want to harm him, his mission being enough cause.

_She’s just trying to protect Gabriel._

Jack let out a pained cry as his body teetered to the side and he was forced into a fetal position, still feebly pushing against the shield.

“I am always keen to add another bounty hunter to my collection. Perhaps I will take an eye for the shelf. Yours are a nice shade of blue.”

“Stop!”

“What was that?” Venator Weir craned her neck towards him.

“I said stop,” he thought he heard something crack, “I don’t want to hurt him! Please, please believe me Venator! _I don’t want to hurt Gabriel._ ”

At that the shield broke, and Jack spilled onto the floor, rolling on his back to stare up at the ceiling. He was panting. Venator Weir came into view, leaning over him. “Say that again?”

“I don’t want to hurt Gabriel.”

“But you are uncertain if you will.”

“I…”

She cocked her head to the side.

There was no way he could be sure he wouldn’t. Even if he decided to not go after the bounty, he would eventually have to tell Gabriel who he was, and why they’d met, which he was utterly dreading. _Fuck. Listen to me._ Jack shook his head and pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes. He didn’t even know, with any sort of certainty, how Gabriel felt about him, or if he’d even had time to develop any real feelings at all. Their time in the medical bay had been encouraging, but Gabriel was a caring person; his touches could have easily been just for comfort with no romantic intentions. _But why did he say he was looking out for me? Why was his hand on top of mine? Why did he look so hurt when I pulled away? Ugh. I’m reading too much into this._ Jack’s stupid heart was moving light years ahead of Gabriel, making what he felt into a reality that probably wasn’t, and maybe… fuck… maybe he should have let just Venator Weir crush him...

“Hmm…”

When Jack moved his hands her beak was so close it was almost touching his nose. He froze.

“You are conflicted. I have not seen that in a bounty hunter. Normally your kind is full of single-track determination. Did Gabriel change your mind about collecting on him? You are certainly not the first to have tried.”

“I… ugh. Look, it’s complicated.”

To Jack’s surprise, Venator Weir backed away only to sit on the floor beside him. “Complicated is good though, Mr. Morrison. It means I will likely refrain from killing you. What is on your mind?”

Her demeanor had become suspiciously cheery, and Jack laid on the floor in silence for a while before he decided to speak, “You know Gabriel is wanted for murder?” _Not that you’d care about that…_ He couldn’t help but look at the shelves.

“Of course. He killed a number of scientists on OW-12 I hear.”

“Do you know why?”

“That is not something Gabriel would tell me, but I can imagine he had his reasons, as I have mine. In his case, the war was likely at fault. Those scars are carefully guarded though, deeper than many can reach.”

“Would it help him? If someone could get there, I mean?”

“Perhaps. Are you seeking to do so?”

He didn’t hesitate. “Yes.” _I need to know, but moreso, I want to help him._ He sighed heavily. _What am I doing? Why am I even talking to the alien who just tried to kill me?_

 _“_ I do not know Mr. Morrison. You tell me.”

Jack snapped his head towards her. “You just read…” He blinked hard “Right. Scion. You heard everything.”

She nodded.

“No offense, but after this I never want to deal with you guys again.”

“None taken.”

“Gabriel’s not one, is he?”

“No. He is much more.”

 _Yeah, he is._ Jack thought immediately.

Venator Weir snickered and Jack dramatically threw a forearm over his eyes. “I’m not going to get used to that.”

“Most do not.”

“So I can’t lie to you.”

“Your attempts would be amusing, but the more truthful you are to me, the more favorable your chances of leaving this room become.”

He hated being backed into a corner. “Fine.” Jack groaned.

“You sound like Gabriel,” Venator Weir mused.

“How long have you two known each other exactly?”

“Twelve years.”

It struck Jack then that he didn’t even know how old Gabriel was. He’d never asked. It had been on his dossier, but… _What was Gabriel's favorite food? Color? Song? Memory? What did he like to do in his spare time, when he had it?_ Twelve years… Venator Weir probably knew all of that just from what he assumed was a long friendship, and he… _Stop it Jack, you’re not even dating him._

“I do not even have to use my abilities to know he consumes your thoughts,” she said.

Jack sighed, screaming at himself internally because Venator Weir had just heard all of that... “Apparently I'm that obvious.”

Venator Weir chuckled. “The bounty hunter who falls in love with his bounty... How novel. The High Consul would certainly adore this story.”

“I'm not in love with Gabriel,” Jack snapped, feeling his cheeks heat up in betrayal.

“Oh? Then what would you call it?”

“I… I don’t know,” his voice became sullen. “I haven't had much time to explore this, and neither has he…” _If he really does feel something… “_ I mean it's only been a week and…” _I've never liked someone so much so quickly._ “It doesn’t help that I practically know nothing about him comparatively, and with what’s been going on lately I’m just… I’m worried about him.”

“His concern is mutual.”

“What?”

Venator Weir stood then, and he lowered his arm to see her duck behind her desk. She returned to Jack holding two cups and a container of translucent red liquid that shimmered in the warm lighting of the office. She sat again.

“Going to try to poison me too?” His eyes narrowed.

“Of course not,” she poured them each a cup. “There's no fun in that.”

She offered him a drink, sipping hers first. He sat up and took it after he was sure she'd swallowed.

“Nectar, imported from Avementia. Regardless of my status with homeworld, it is very difficult to ignore the whims of a Venator.” Jack started wondering what happened to her to be at odds with her planet, but she answered him quickly, without restraint, “I was born wingless.” Her voice was pleasant, though there was a finality to it. He understood not to press further. “Drink.”

He nodded, doing so. The drink was sweet, but not overwhelming. It had a bit of a honey taste, though there was more he couldn't associate. As he drank he began to feel relaxed. “Is this some sort of apology?”

“No, just preparation.”

Jack stared at her, eyes wide.

Venator Weir quirked her brow. “You are drinking with Gabriel tonight, are you not?”

“So you’re not killing me and putting my eyes on your shelf?”

“Not today. Make no mistake, I have no love for bounty hunters. They believe their kind of business can operate outside of Seraph law.” Jack had known of a few who’d been killed in Seraph territory, and he’d heard some wild rumors surrounding their deaths, which maybe weren’t so wild after all. “Stubborn, headstrong creatures causing wanton destruction: property damage, innocent deaths, loss of local revenue. None of it is tolerated.” She calmly sipped her Nectar. “I was eager to end a problem before it started, and am glad I did not have to.” Venator Weir motioned to his drink with a claw. “Finish it.”

“What is this going to do exactly?” Jack knew he should have asked earlier, but common sense seemed to have slipped away from him. He couldn’t imagine why...

“While you will not be able to keep up when it comes to drinking with Gabriel, this will prevent you from having any adverse effects in the morning should you try.”

He gulped the rest down. “A hangover fix?”

“Indeed.” She nodded once. “Oh. You are fired, by the way.”

“But I never worked for you.”

“And you will never again.” Venator Weir finished her Nectar, standing and setting the cup on her desk. She then sat at her chair, pulling up Jack’s profile on a holographic screen. He watched her change his employment status from ‘active’ to ‘terminated’. “The transaction will still be honored, your history with Seraph untouched, free to lie as you please.”

Jack frowned. A knot was forming in his stomach and he shakily got to his feet.

“Or tell the truth when you are no longer conflicted.”

That knot tightened. “You’d mentioned earlier that our concern for each other was mutual?” _Is there…_ His grip on the empty cup tightened. _Right. No point in thinking around here._ “Is there more?”

“That is not up to me to say, however,” her sharp gaze met his, “Gabriel is walking a dangerous line. He knows what he must do to prevent himself from crossing it, but there is fear and uncertainty in his way. I do not know what you will do for him, Jack Morrison, but it would be a loss for both of you if I did not allow you to try.”

“Thank you, Venator Weir,” Jack said with as much sincerity as he could pour into his words.

“You are welcome. Now, get out of my sight.”

He bowed his head and walked out of the room, making sure not to run. He handed the cup to one of the guards on the way out, and as he exited the building, threw his head up to see the cosmos above and laugh. He’d been given a chance to to try and turn his attraction to Gabriel into something more, if Gabriel wanted it too. Jack only hoped he wasn’t going to blow it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of plot-related items here (much of which is referenced from stuff that happened in Chapter 1 in case anyone is confused). Jack was very comfortable on that floor. Thanks for asking.
> 
> Luke was my beta-reading god for this. I ended up rewriting two scenes, hence why this took forever. More to come.


	6. Never Agree with Jesse McCree

Blue Nova was the largest and only bar on Lajalt station: a circular building covered in, of course, blue neon with a holographic animation of an explosion on the sign above the entrance eave.

Gabriel had taken his time getting there, having resisted the urge to turn back around and return to Jack multiple times. He didn’t believe it when he mentally tried to reassure himself that Jack would be fine, and he absolutely regretted not asking Venator Weir about her plans.

 _She knows I'm worried…_ Though he knew better than to think that would stop her from shipping Jack off to the other side of the galaxy if she had a suitable assignment. Ludwig, like most of Seraph’s higher-ups, put business before personal needs. _Except the High Consul…_ He’d mastered the art of doing both at once, but he had a significant advantage.

Gabriel sighed, giving the security outside the entrance a wave before going in. He really needed a drink to keep his thoughts far away his concerns… _Okay, maybe more than one._

A raucous of voices and booming music from a live band greeted him, and Gabriel made his way to the center of Blue Nova. A tower of libations touching the ceiling lit up the interior, stocked with choices from all over the galaxy, beams of light passing through glass in a kaleidoscopic display. Throngs of patrons were served by several bartenders. They were lumpy creatures with compound eyes, four arms, their lower halves merged into a saucer-like hover device. He watched one float up the tower to pluck a bottle from it.

“Hey Gabe,” Jesse called, waving his hat in the air from his place at the circular bar around the tower.

Amélie gave Gabriel a nod. She was seated a few empty seats away from Jesse, keeping an eye on Mako and Jamison, who'd taken a table with some aliens that Gabriel recognized as being part of their old salvaging outfit. They were shouting, laughing, likely spinning tales of their adventures, so they took no notice of his arrival.

Sombra was nowhere to be seen, but Gabriel figured she was still meeting with her contact.

His mind started to drift to Jack, and he hurried along to Jesse as if he were trying to outrun his thoughts. “Hi Jess.”

“Saved you a seat.” The stools on either side of Jesse were both empty. Gabriel took the one to his right. “How'd the meetin’ with Venator Weir go?”

“As expected.” _For the most part._

“You talk to her about…” Jesse put his hands up, mimicking monster claws and let out a moan, dragging out the word ‘brains’.

Gabriel socked him in the shoulder, though it lacked any seriousness. “They're not that kind of zombie.”

Jesse laughed.

“Are you drinking water?” Gabriel eyed Jesse's glass.

“Yeah, and you're changin’ the subject.”

“Maybe.”

“Gabe,” Jesse gave him an exasperated look.

Gabriel sighed. It wasn’t worth fighting. “She can't do anything about it, and she suggested I go see The High Consul.”

He scoffed and sipped his water, “We both know you'd rather pull your own teeth out with a pair of Jamison’s greasy ass pliers than do that.”

“What,” Gabriel quirked a brow, “don't think I can swallow my pride long enough? You make it sound like I hate the guy.”

“You don't?”

“Not even remotely. I just hate his powers. A lot. You would too if you ever met him.” He paused. “Seriously, why are you drinking water?”

“Was waitin’ for you,” he sneered. “Is Jack coming?”

 _I don't know._ Gabriel sighed again. “I told him to come by when he and Ludwig were done. He agreed, so he must still be there.” He tried really hard not to sound sullen, but felt Jesse's hand land on his shoulder.

“Well old man, I've got somethin’ that’ll take your mind off him ‘til he shows. It's about time we settled our score.”

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. “What?”

Jesse rubbed his chin stubble. “The score of true men.” He folded his arms. “You're always tellin’ me to shave, and I reckon you're just scared of any competition.”

Gabriel sneered and stroked his own beard. “Is that so?”

“I figured it's about time you put that beard on the line, Gabe. Drinkin’ contest.” He put a thumb to his chest. “You and me. Loser shaves his beard.”

Jesse was absurd, but, Gabriel figured, he could use a bit of that then. He _did_ need to relax. “I assume you have terms.”

“You can’t drink anything I'm not allowed to, so none of your alien death concoctions.”

It was reasonable. Gabriel’s state of being allowed him to ingest a lot of drinks that would flat out kill a normal human without much recourse. Still, Jesse was biting off more than he could chew. New abilities aside, he clearly had no recollection of Gabriel stomping him in past drinking contests during leave when they were enlisted. It used to be a tradition for their unit, even when he and Jesse were the only ones left.

“Alright. Anything else?”

“We go ‘til one of us drops or calls it quits.”

“Standard rules then.”

“Yep.” Jesse motioned to the drink tower with his thumb. “Loser also picks up the tab.”

“No need,” Gabriel said. “Ludwig is buying.”

Jesse's brow shot up to the brim of his hat. “No shit.”

Gabriel nodded.

“Well, let's get this started then. Barkeep,” Jesse held a hand up, flagging one down, “two rounds of your finest alcoholic beverages.” He turned to Gabriel, tipping his hat, “Prepare to be beardless.”

“We’ll see.”

The bartender set their drinks in front of them, and together they each took the first sip.

 

* * *

 

Jack had taken a detour to his ship, which was docked privately at the station and paid for by Overwatch, to pick up some of his belongings before heading to Blue Nova. He wouldn't be going back to it anytime soon, if at all.

One thing was certain after his encounter with Venator Weir: he wanted to be with Gabriel.

But, he was afraid of so many things, especially the unknowns. What happened on Colony OW-12? What was Gabriel? If Jack gave up his contract, how would Gabriel, and his crew for that matter, react to the information?

He'd already escaped death once, and wasn't sure he'd be so lucky again. Yes, they were pirates, but from his interactions with them, Jack didn't necessarily consider them bad people; they were family to each other, they were human (mostly) at heart. Jack worried that if he even gave them an inkling he was a threat (and he didn't want to be), it was more likely they'd protect their own over trusting his word.

_You should tell him the truth before this goes further._

Jack scoffed at his own thought. Would it go further? Would Gabriel want it to? Would he want them to be something?

He shook his head. _Wishful thinking. Just desire. Too fast._ Jack had to find out who Gabriel really was before he could make a choice about revealing his original intentions. It would look bad, like he was trying to worm his way in, gain their confidence before he struck, and, he supposed, he _was_ trying to do just that, but for much more altruistic reasons. He wanted to know Gabriel because he cared about him. He really did.

 _Well, I'm screwed either way._ Jack gazed up at the over the top neon sign for the bar. _But at least I'll get to spend more time with him._

Security stopped to examine the contents of his duffle bag before allowing him inside. When he entered, Jack scanned the area for familiar faces, immediately spotting Amélie at the circular bar around a tower of multicolored bottles and other containers that went to the ceiling.

“May I sit here?” Jack motioned to the seat beside her.

“You survived Jack,” she gave him a smile. _You have_ _no idea._ Jack tried not to dwell on her phrasing. “It's good to see you. Of course. Sit.”

“Thanks,” Jack set his bag at his feet. “I don’t want to be rude Amélie, but where's Gabriel?”

Laughter erupted from across the room and Amélie pointed with a slender finger. Jack's eyes were drawn to a group of rough-looking aliens, salvagers he assumed by their gear, to see Gabriel sitting at a table surrounded by them. Mako and Jamison were amongst the group. Jesse was passed out adjacent to Gabriel, having face-planted in his hat. Countless empty glasses were strewn about their table with Gabriel halfway through a stein.

“Looks like he's having fun.” Jack smiled. Gabriel was cackling, and a bit red in the face as he downed another gulp of whatever he was drinking. “What happened to Jesse?”

“A contest. He tried to outdrink Gabriel.”

“Went that well huh? I'm guessing Gabriel won.”

“No. Neither of them did, actually.” Amélie said in an amused tone. “Jesse passed out, yes, but Gabriel got himself drunk enough to break a rule.”

“Which was?”

“No drinks that would kill humans. He started on his first Viduuan Soul Render a few cycles ago. That one is his fifth.”

“That drink’s illegal on some planets.” _Not here though. Neutral station, so anything goes._ “One of your people’s concoctions.”

She gave an amused smirk. “That is one way to put it, I suppose. The version that's served is… watered down, as you say.”

He ordered a round of Seliak Ale: a crimson drink with the sweetness of Saunternes and the bite of Vodka. “How so?”

“It used to be a ritual drink, said to have been created by our Matriarch, to separate the soul from the flesh in order to commune with our dead. It was taken off world, ironically by pirates, its formula changed over time to be drinkable by some.”

“But still deadly to most.”

Amélie nodded. “Even so, it's sought after. It induces the most intense feeling of inebriation, or so I'm told.”

Jack's drink arrived. “Did you want anything? I feel bad having something when you're not.”

“I'm fine. I don't drink.” Jack assumed she'd been keeping an eye on everyone else. “Not since my partner passed.”

“Oh.” He was not expecting that. “I'm sorry,” he stared at his drink, droplets of condensation streaming down the side. “Didn't mean to bring back bad memories.”

“It’s alright. Time has dulled the pain of his loss. I was fortunate to have known him.” Jack watched her powder blue lips curl into a slight smile. “Viduuans are matched by the Matriarch when we're of age. She knows what lies within our hearts, our souls, and never in her ten thousand years of service has she ever chosen an incorrect pair.” Jack knew only a little about Viduuan culture. They were a spiritual people, believing in the connections of all things in the universe. Their leader was a well-known Scion. “She certainly didn't for me.”

“If you don't mind me asking, what happened?”

“Tenebrel. He was a pilot, like me. His fighter was destroyed, and, so was I… Depression took me, and held me tight.” She stared at the bar counter. “I stopped caring about my duties, the war, and my desire… my purpose, to end it. Unable to function, I was excused from my service from the Viduuan military, and soon, was never without a bottle.”

Jack sipped his drink. “What changed?” Though, he had a good idea.

“Gabriel, Jesse, and Sombra.” She turned her attention to Gabriel, who was standing, barely, between Mako and Jamison, rocking from side to side, singing with them at the top of his lungs. Jack didn't recognize the song. “They offered me a job, and helped me out of the void I was rotting in. That was, by your measure, years ago. I've been with them ever since.”

Jack smiled, glancing at her from his periphery, “You guys have room for one more?”

She turned to look at him, brows knit together. “What happened Jack?” Amélie asked, tone laced with concern.

“Eh, I kind of got fired,” he shrugged. _That and I almost died to a tiny bird alien with mind powers. Nothing big._ “Venator Weir wasn't too keen on the whole,” his voice became a whisper, “Shadow Rot thing.” He cleared his throat, volume returning to normal. “A liability, she’d said.”

Amélie nodded. “I can understand that, but I'm still sorry you lost your job, especially since it seemed to be something you enjoyed.”

“There are other jobs.”

“There are, and I'm sure Gabriel will be happy to have you as a part of our crew, but,” her sharp gaze met his, “you should consider if what we do is right for you Jack.”

It probably wasn't. The whole loot and plunder aspect of Gabriel’s life didn't sit well with Jack, but, he realized, he didn't really know why Gabriel had taken up piracy; only that he had. It was one more thing about him Jack intended to find out. And, he reminded himself, reassured himself, that he was at least going to give Gabriel a chance. _Please work out._

“Even if it isn't,” Jack said, “there's nowhere else I'd want to go.” He looked at Gabriel again, who took another swig, and when he lowered the empty stein he had a big, warm smile on his face. Gabriel was still laughing, and Jack kept his focus, hoping he'd be noticed.

_Just go over there._

But he didn't. Part of it was apprehension. Part of it was Jack not wanting to spoil Gabriel’s fun. Part of it was feeling like he didn't entirely belong.

Jack looked away, focusing on his drink.

Soon, he heard someone plop down on the stool beside him, a presence stirring a warmth in his gut and cheeks.

He slowly turned his head to see Gabriel leering at him, elbow on the counter, head heavy, resting in his hand. “Hey Jackie.”

Jack’s heart almost stopped.

“What's a pretty place like you doing in a guy like this?” Gabriel asked. And then he giggled. Gabriel Reyes, feared space pirate, Captain of the Blackwatch, fucking _giggled._

Jack just about died. Again.

“Hey,” he waved at one of the bartenders. “Hey, give me another.”

“Gabriel,” Amélie cut in. “You'd be dead five times over if you weren't you. I think that's enough.”

“Five times?” He looked, for a few brief seconds, like he was trying to concentrate. “So I've got four more lives to kill then.” He tried to flag a bartender down, and smacked his hand against the counter. “Four more of the murder drinks!” He looked at Jack. “Five more. It would be rude of me to not share.”

“No,” Amélie stood up, speaking to the floating bartender alien in another language. She periodically motioned to him and Gabriel.

It nodded, and soon set a full glass in front of Gabriel.

“Thanks,” he said, chugging the contents.

Amélie leaned down, speaking in Jack's ear, “It's just water. I have a few supplies to pick up for the ship.” Jack thought that was an odd thing for the pilot to be doing, but he guessed it made sense since she was the only sober one around, and it was a small crew, so he didn't question it further. “Are you going to be alright watching him?”

Gabriel slammed the glass, shattering it. “Another.”

Jack snatched Gabriel’s hand reactively, turning it over to make sure he hadn't cut himself. Gabriel’s skin was unmarred by any new injuries. _He's fine. Good._ “Yeah. I'll make sure he gets back to the ship in one piece.”

Amélie nodded.

When she left he turned back to Gabriel, who was staring at the hand Jack was holding. Jack quickly let go.

“Sorry.”

Gabriel didn't reply, but kept looking at Jack, peeking out from a thick fan of eyelashes. Jack cleared his throat and hastily sipped his ale.

A weight was suddenly against his side. Jack went rigid, head turning slowly to see Gabriel pressed up against him. He felt Gabriel’s body shake as he laughed, sounding happy as can be, “I'm glad you finally showed up. Was scanning the crowd in here for your face all night. I saw you like twelve times, but you were always someone else, and now,” Gabriel nuzzled his face into Jack's bicep, “you're heeeere.”

“You're drunk, Gabriel.”

“And you're the most comfortable pillow this side of the galaxy.”

Jack smirked a little.

Gabriel started attempting to make chirping noises, which quickly turned into him singing the word ‘chirp’ repeatedly.

“You okay there?” Jack quirked a brow.

“Mmhmm,” he nodded a few times. “Peachy. How'd the meeting with my fine feathered _compadre_ go?”

“Venator Weir?”

Gabriel snapped his fingers. “Yes. That one.”

Jack wanted to tell Gabriel what happened, wanted to tell him everything, but he knew it was a bad idea. It wasn't fair to Gabriel, and it would give Jack away, but, then again, maybe not? How much _was_ Gabriel going to remember? Jack shook his head. _No._ Whenever Jack decided to tell Gabriel the truth, he'd do it when Gabriel was sober and deal with the consequences.

“The meeting was routine up until the end. I got fired.”

At that, Gabriel cackled.

“That's not supposed to be funny,” Jack said through a smile.

“I know!” Gabriel continued laughing, doubling over to clutch his sides.

Jack couldn't help but join in. He was happy. Gabriel at his side, being as close as he was felt normal somehow. It felt right.

As soon as they'd both settled down Gabriel put more weight on Jack, seeming completely unaware they were sitting on stools, and Jack had to stick a leg out to keep himself from toppling over. “Gabe,” he said through clenched teeth.

Gabriel immediately sat up and jabbed Jack in the chest with his finger, “You’ve never called me that.” He leaned forward, grasping the edge of the seat with both hands. Gabriel chuckled low, rolling his head to the side. He spoke in an overly sexual tone that sent shivers to the most inconvenient places, especially for a public setting, “I like it.”

Yup, Jack was done. He spit out the ale he was about to swallow in a spray, aware of how his entire body was alight with the beginnings of arousal.

Gabriel swayed on his seat, “You are so beautiful, to me,” he sang.

“Gabriel…” Jack could feel his face heating up, glad that only the bartenders, none of which seemed to give a damn, were near them.

“You are so beautiful, to me. Can't you see?” Gabriel was closer to him then, arm slung over Jack's shoulder, his lips against Jack's ear. “You're everything I'd hoped for.” A finger caressed Jack's cheek. “You're everything I need.”

“Gabe,” Jack reluctantly pulled away, affixing him with a hard stare as best he could. “You're not of the right mind to be saying that kind of thing. ”

“Fiiine. See if I ever give you compliments again.” Gabriel remained where he was. “And my mind is right as fucking rain Jack Morrison you… you,” he swayed, breaking into more laughter.

“Maybe I should take you back to the ship.” Jack said calmly, finishing his drink.

“Well go back to the ship when I'm good and ready… unless you're going with me?”

“That’s the idea, yes. You're not going to be able to get there yourself.”

“Why the hell not?”

“Because you're incredibly drunk.”

“Oh yeah.” Gabriel scooted forward, knocking his stool into Jack’s. Jack had to move his backwards so Gabriel was in front of him, back to the bar. He then unceremoniously plopped his forehead against Jack's shoulder inhaling deeply. “You smell nice.” He paused. “I really do think you're beautiful.”

“I'll believe it when you're sober.”

“I’m sober enough,” Gabriel lifted his head, bonking the top of his on Jack’s chin. When he oriented himself, he gave Jack an awkward stare down, noses almost touching. “Would a sober person do this?” Before Jack had time to react Gabriel had kissed him, though he'd missed Jack's mouth entirely. Instead, his soft lips met Jack's cheek, which Gabriel quickly slid down until he was resting on Jack's shoulder again. “Take that you bastard. You _beautiful_ bastard.” He let out a groan. “Why am I so tired?”

Jack didn’t answer immediately, and if it were possible to do he would have forgotten how to breathe. His fingers rubbed the spot on his cheek where Gabriel had kissed him.

“Jackie?” Gabriel nudged him with his forehead.

He lowered his hand and cleared his throat. “Let’s get you home, Gabe.” Jack said. “Can you stand?”

Without a word Gabriel lifted up, teetering. He steadied himself, took a step forward, and fell.

Jack caught him, “That'll be a no then.” Gabriel tried to protest his help, but Jack got him up, letting Gabriel put most of his weight on him. He grabbed his duffle bag, and they walked out of Blue Nova.

Of course, the walking part didn't last long, especially when Gabriel started to doze mid-stride, so Jack ended up carrying him. Gabriel spent most of the trip home with his face snuggled into Jack's bicep.

His mind was stuck, finding it very hard to ignore the little twinges of memories: the feeling of Gabriel touching him, his lips on Jack's skin, his sung words of adulation… Jack wanted those things again, but only when Gabriel was back to himself, only when Jack was sure that’s what Gabriel wanted. He should have seen the kiss coming, should have stopped it, and hoped Gabriel wouldn't regret it.

 _I don’t._ He glanced down at the sleeping man in his arms, and smiled.     

They got back to the Blackwatch by shuttle, having borrowed one from the station so the rest of the crew could use the one they took originally. Jack brought Gabriel to his quarters, which had been repaired since he'd last been there, though it was still as barren. Jack shucked off Gabriel’s boots and stripped off his coat before laying him down carefully in his bed. Jack then tucked him in.

“Hades.”

“Yes Jack?”

“Can you check him over, tell me if there's anything he needs?”

“Rest,” Hades replied, “is what he requires for optimal function. That is all.”

“No,” Gabriel croaked, eyes still closed. He sat up suddenly and reached for Jack, latching onto his waist and pulling him into the edge of the bed. His face was up against Jack's stomach, and though his next words were muffled, Jack heard them perfectly, “Please don't go.”

Jack placed a hand on the back of Gabriel’s head. “I said I got fired didn't I? I don't really have a place to go other than here, but let's talk about that later, okay?”

He twisted and tried to take a step forward. Jack wanted to stay, but Gabriel really needed to sleep, and it would be easier to do that if they weren’t trying to cram two very large men into a bed that was only big enough for one of them. Gabriel, however, didn't think so, and his grip held firm.

“Jaaaack.”

“Gabriel.”

His voice was almost a whisper. “Stay.” Gabriel’s arms squeezed him once. “Please.”

“Would you like assistance Jack?” Hades asked. The construct sounded… amused.

“Uh, no thanks Hades.” He looked down at Gabriel, expression soft, “I'll stay.”

At that Gabriel pulled him into bed with unexpected strength so that Jack was sitting, back against the wall, and Gabriel’s head was in his lap. Jack reached for a pillow, lifting Gabriel’s head to set it beneath.

“Better?” Jack asked with a bemused smile.

He didn't get an answer. Gabriel was already asleep.

 

* * *

 

Gabriel knew he needed to lay off the ‘deadly to most known life’ drinks. Just because he could drink them, didn't mean he should. But, for some reason, even considering the massive headache he had, he felt happy…? He wasn’t exactly sure why, but he figured it probably had something to do with the really comfortable pillow he was on.

He blinked a few times. Why the fuck did his pillow have legs?

_Oh shit._

Gabriel rolled his head to see a sleeping Jack above him. He burst into a cloud of stardust, reforming several feet away.

“Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.” Gabriel’s eyes darted around the room. Nothing was amiss. They both had their clothes on, so the worst Gabriel had possibly done was be a clingy, tactile asshole, which was what happened every time he got drunk, but that didn't stop him from worrying anyway. The last thing he ever wanted to do was to make Jack uncomfortable.

Gabriel ran a hand down his face, tugging at his beard. The only thing he remembered was starting the drinking contest with Jesse. Everything else after was a blur.

He started pacing, wracking his brain for something. _Anything._ He needed to leave. Needed to think. Gabriel headed for the door, en route to his garden.

When it opened, his entire crew was standing there, smiling at him.

“What the fuck are you all doing here?” He exclaimed in a harsh whisper, stepping out of his room so the door would close and he wouldn't wake Jack.

“We've come to see you shave your beard,” Jesse said with a sneer, to which Sombra immediately jabbed him in the side with a sharp elbow. “Ow. Damn it Sombra, I was only pokin’ fun.”

“I doubt he's in the mood for it,” she said, shrugging. “Right Gabe?”

Gabriel put a hand to his forehead. “Right.” He took a deep breath. He _really_ wasn’t in the mood to deal with anyone, much less everyone at that moment. _But I guess I’m not getting a choice, am I?_   "Since you're all here, would one of you mind telling me what the fuck happened last night?”

“You and Jesse had a drinking contest,” Amélie answered, shooting a glare at Jesse, “where neither won and you proceeded to down five Viduuan Soul Renders.”

“Five?" Gabriel blinked. "Why didn't any of you stop me?”

Jamison laughed. “I got so wasted I wasn't sure who I was most of the night Captain.”

“I passed out in my hat,” Jesse said, raising his hand a bit.

“Ugh. Amélie? Mako?”

“You are responsible for your own judgment… However, I cut you off when I was able to get away with it,” Amélie replied, sighing.

Mako looked at Gabriel, shaking his head. “Didn't try. You weren't hurting anyone, or yourself.” He cut a large hand across the space in front of him. “Nothing wrong with having a good time. You, of all people, needed the opportunity to let go.” He smiled. “Ended up being a good night for you.”

Gabriel slowly leveled his gaze with Sombra.

“ _¿Qué?_ Meeting up with my contact went a little bit over time. I didn't get to Blue Nova until after you'd left.” Sombra smirked. “But, Mako is right." She pointed at him with a sharp, purple nail, "You did have a good night.”

“You pulled the bar's security footage, didn't you?”

“ _Sí_.” Her smirk grew.

“Sombra. What did I do?”

She put a hand on her hip, the other pointing at him. “You kissed Jack.”

Gabriel’s voice cracked. “I did what?”

“See for yourself.”

A screen appeared between them and Gabriel watched, transfixed, as the events of his time at the bar replayed. Vague pieces of memory returned, and the more he saw the worse he felt.

Jack didn't appear bothered by Gabriel being all over him, quite the opposite in fact, but it wasn't what Gabriel had intended. He didn’t want to invade Jack's space like he had. He didn’t want the first time he kissed Jack to have been guided by inebriated whim. Jack looked happy, sure, but what if he wasn't? What if he was holding back how he really felt so Gabriel wouldn't make more of a scene?

“Turn it off Sombra.”

“You alright Gabe?”

“Not even remotely.” Gabriel buried his head in his hands. “Jack must hate me.”

“Gabriel…” Amélie’s voice. “That couldn't be further from the truth.” He felt hands on his shoulders, and lifted his head. Amélie was in front of him. “He wants to stay here. Jack said there was no place he'd rather be, and then he looked at you.”

“And he meant it?”

“I believe so.”

Gabriel nodded, but he couldn't meet her gaze, or any of theirs. _Jack's going to stay…_ He felt tears, and pushed through his family to get to the open hallway. He needed space. “Hades, bring him to his quarters, and let me know when it's alright to come by.”

“As you wish Captain Reyes.”

But, the only thing Gabriel wished was to make things right, to make sure he and Jack were okay.

Everything else could wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :3 Wade and Andro beta read this one. 
> 
> As a warning, there's going to be a bit of nsfw content at the start of the next chapter. It's probably not what you're thinking (Or is it?).
> 
> TD 20 is on the way. I may have gotten stuck ahahaha.
> 
> http://kerrigore.tumblr.com


	7. Yes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of this chapter contains a little bit of explicit sexual content. If it's something you'd like to skip, feel free to scroll down to the bolded text.

Jack dreamed of Gabriel.

He dreamed of Gabriel touching him.

He dreamed of his soft, plush lips caressing his flesh, teasing with the light scrape of teeth.

He dreamed of warmth. Of fire.

And then, Jack was burning.

He jolted awake, breathing hard. Without pause, he reached into his pants to free his cock, flushed and firm in his hand. Thoughts of Gabriel ran rampant, and Jack started to stroke himself, briefly distracted by the need for certain privacy.

Jack got up and made his way into the bathroom, locking the door before stripping off his clothes in haste. He stepped into the shower, turning the water on, back to the wall beneath the shower head.

“Gabriel…” he said under his breath, grasping his leaking cock again, stroking long and slow from hilt to tip and back with his thumb.

He wondered what Gabriel would feel like on top of him, or under him. How hard he’d clench around Jack. How Gabriel might feel inside of him, stretching him, filling him up. How big was he? How thick? He could picture Gabriel grabbing his hips, pushing him down into a bed, thrusting into him, loving all of the little sounds Jack knew he’d be unable to hold in.

“Please, Gabe.”

Jack picked up his speed, sucking on the index and middle fingers of his free hand, coating them in saliva before he pressed one into his tight entrance. He let out a small gasp, trying to imagine it was Gabriel inside of him instead.

It wasn’t working.

It wasn’t enough.

Jack wanted to rush, but instead took the time to work himself open, inserting the second finger. He fucked himself on them in time with the hand stroking his blushing cock, closing his eyes to focus on his fantasy. Gabriel was above him, in him, and Jack’s fingers pushed in harder, faster, breath hurried beneath the stream of water.

As he dove deeper into his own mind, the feelings of pleasure intensified. Jack was panting, wanting, bringing himself to the edge, until it became too much for him to hold. Magma flowed through his veins, through his belly, and it wasn't long before he burst. Jack let out a cry, of Gabriel’s name, that echoed against the walls of the shower as he came hard, painting the floor with thick ropes of white.

 **His** **legs felt like jelly, and he sunk into a sitting position. Jack’s head drooped, and he smiled, picturing himself lying against Gabriel’s chest, held firmly, securely in his strong arms.**

“Would you like me to get Commander Reyes?” Hades asked, shattering the comfortable silence.

Jack’s eyelids flew open. _You've got to be fucking kidding me._ “What? No. Fuck no.”

“The tone of your voice indicated otherwise.”

“ _I said no._ ” Jack was trying not to sound hysterical, unsure if he should yell, laugh, cry, or give in to a mixture of the three, feeling his face heat up in utter embarrassment. He had the absolute best luck. “What are you even doing here?”

“I am everywhere.”

“This is a private shower Hades!”

“You failed to explicitly state your desire for privacy.”

“Yes, yes,” he groaned and tugged at his hair, “the shower is private! My whole room is private! Get out Hades!”

“As you wish.”

There was silence.

“Hades?”

Nothing.

“Hades!”

“You requested I leave.”

“Well, I forgot something.” Jack bounced the back of his head against the shower wall for a few seconds. _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._ His hands became fists at his sides. “Don’t tell Captain Reyes, or anyone else on the ship, what you saw or heard, got it?”

“Confirmed Jack.”

“Are you sure?”

“I am bound to my word.”

“Good, okay.” He sighed, nodding to himself. “Now you can leave Hades.” Jack punched the floor. _Fuck._

“Jack.”

“Didn't I just tell you to—”

“You have a visitor.”

“ _What.”_ Jack scrambled to stand, nearly slipping on the wet floor. “ _Who?_ ”

“Captain Reyes. He's requested to speak with you.”

Jack literally felt his soul leave his body, having to steady himself against the wall of the shower to prevent himself from falling.

“Would you like me to ask him to leave? You are distressed.”

“No. No,” Jack's voice cracked. “That's not necessary.”

Jack scanned the room, quickly realizing that in his haste he'd taken some of his clothes off in the actual shower instead of outside like a normal person. They were soaked, unwearable, and it was then he'd remembered that he'd left the duffle bag with all of his clean outfits in Gabriel’s room.

Jack screamed internally.

Left with no other choice, and knowing he was keeping Gabriel — _oh gods he's right outside my door and I'm fucking naked what in the actual fuck am I doing_ — waiting he fumbled for a towel, wrapping it around his waist. Jack tested his knot, ensuring it was secure as he strode to the door.

In all of his great wisdom, Jack answered it still dripping wet, droplets glistening in the hallway lights.

Gabriel took one look at Jack and seemed like he was going to pop a blood vessel. Jack heard him say ‘holy shit’ under his breath before he cleared his throat, trying to regain some sense of composure. “Did I come at a bad time Jack?”

 _I don't know, did you?_ His mind automatically supplied. “No, you're good Gabriel.”

“Yeah, I am…” Gabriel immediately snapped his mouth shut, pulling his stare up to Jack's face. “I was hoping we could… Are you sure you don't want me to come back?”

“I mean it's alright if you want to leave.” Jack tried to sound casual, but he couldn't keep the hint of disappointment from his tone.

“I don’t, I just… Fuck it. Can I come in?” He'd changed into black flight pants, a sleeveless tee, and was barefoot. “I wanted to talk to you about last night.”

“Sure. Let me, uh, get another towel,” Jack motioned with a thumb to the bathroom and stepped aside to allow Gabriel in. The tension between them was mounting, palpable, and Jack tried not to let himself get concerned with what Gabriel might have to say. He quickly retrieved the second towel, drying his chest off before draping it over his shoulders and heading back to Gabriel.

He was seated at the table in the wall at one of the two booths. Jack sat across from him, hands on his lap. Gabriel’s were on the table top, kneading his knuckles with a thumb.

“So,” Jack didn't want to overstep, but he also wanted to test Gabriel’s reaction. He remembered everything clearly from the night before, and was just as smitten now as he had been then. He thought of Gabriel’s lips on his cheek. “What’s up, Gabe?”

“Jack I…”

“Go ahead,” he said gently. Why was Gabriel so apprehensive? _He regrets it all, doesn't he?_ Jack's fingers tapped against the tops of his thighs.

“I wanted to apologize for what I did at the bar last night, and after,” Gabriel said. _Here it comes._ Jack’s whole body tensed, fingers grasping the towel. “I get very… attached when I’ve had too much, and it was wrong of me to invade your personal space like that, especially without asking.”

“It's alright. I liked you being that close to me. I really did.”

“Even so, I didn’t mean to do it, and I’m sorry.”

“Gabe, I'm not mad or anything. It’s not a big deal,” Jack assured.

“It is to me. This isn’t how…” he shook his head.

Jack leaned forward. “Isn’t how what?”

“What happened… that’s not how I go about getting close to someone I have feelings for,” Gabriel laid his hands flat on the table top, and looked straight at Jack. “I wanted you to hear how I felt when I was sober.” He took a deep breath through his nose. “I like you, Jack.”

Jack laughed.

“Alright, well, I guess that settles that,” Gabriel said quickly. He was getting ready to stand, partially out of his seat, when Jack grasped both of his hands.

“No. Stay,” he said firmly. “I didn’t mean to laugh. You just have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that.”

Gabriel lowered himself back down, eyes glancing between their hands and Jack’s face.

“I mean,” Jack began, “I think you know how I feel about you, Gabe. I haven’t exactly done a good job at hiding it.”

That got a smile out of Gabriel. “Not really. How many times _have_ you stared at my ass?”

“At this point, I think I lost count.”

Gabriel chuckled.

Jack tightened his grip on Gabriel’s hands. “I don’t want you to think that’s what you are to me though. I’m attracted to you physically, sure, but it was your kindness that drew me, and since the day you made me pancakes I’ve been enamoured with you, probably more than I should be considering how long I’ve known you, and I… I sound ridiculous-”

“You don’t,” Gabriel’s hands slid out from under Jack's only for him to push back in and lace their fingers together. “Certainly not more than I did when I fucking sang to you and spilled my heart in a crowded bar.”

“Wasn’t that bad. You have a nice voice, though I'd say nice is an understatement.” Jack spoke with sincerity, “I'd love to hear it again sometime.”

“I'm not that good Jack.” Gabriel averted his gaze, but he was smiling, stretching the scar on his bottom lip. “I was drunk.”

“Well, I’ll just have to judge your next performance.” He paused. “I do have to ask though, now that you’re no longer under the influence of alien death drinks,” Jack quirked an eyebrow, smirking a little. “How much of what you said was true?”

“You really want to know?”

“Wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t.”

He felt Gabriel squeeze his hands. “All of it. Every word.”

Jack’s heart skipped.

“I’m drawn to you Jack. I want to be there for you, make you happy, make sure you’re safe. You really are beautiful to me. I could be looking at every star in the galaxy and the only one I'd ever see would be you.”

“Gabriel…” Jack could feel himself blush at the compliment.

“When I left you at Venator Weir’s office, I wasn’t sure I was going to see you again, and part of me couldn’t handle it.”

“I felt the same,” Jack easily admitted. “It was a feeling of desperation, of lost opportunity, like the light of my life was being taken away, and I just… I didn't want to lose my chance.”

Gabriel pulled away then, and Jack had to hold back a protest at the loss of contact. He watched Gabriel let out a happy sigh, leaning on the table with his elbows, chin resting in his hands. “And now, we’re here.”

“Yeah.” Jack hadn’t moved his hands. “We are.”

Jack stared at Gabriel. Gabriel stared at Jack. The universe swelled and faded into the background.

“I want to do this right Jack,” he sat up. “We both deserve it.”

Jack only nodded.

Gabriel spoke slowly with an undertone of caution as if he were still unsure that this was reality, their reality, “Do you want to try being with me?”

“Yes.” _More than anything._

“May I take you out to dinner?”

“Absolutely.”

Gabriel took both of Jack's hands in his, and peppered his knuckles with warm, soft kisses, and Jack could hear the words ‘thank you’ with every one.

“You saved me Gabe. I should be showing gratitude.”

He shook his head. “You don’t owe me anything.”

“I do though, more so than before. Do you remember when you asked me about the meeting?”

Gabriel stopped kissing him, looking up. “No, but I know what you said. She fired you.”

“Yeah. The Shadow Rot.” Jack subconsciously tried to pull away, but Gabriel held firm, gingerly running his fingertips over Jack's left arm, seemingly to know where the wound edges were even though Jack had forgotten to remove the sleeve before his shower. He relaxed at Gabriel’s touches.

“Where are the serum injectors Hades gave you?” It was impossible to ignore the concern in his voice.

“Bathroom.” _Along with the evidence of what I did before you got here._ Jack quickly added, “It's okay. I don’t have to use one until tomorrow, so don't worry. I need to ask you something, though.”

“Yes?”

“I don’t really have anywhere else to go, and you and the rest of the crew have been so hospitable to me.” _Though it may not stay that way…_ “I know the offer’s been open, but I'd like to ask, officially, if I could stay on the Blackwatch.” He watched Gabriel open his mouth to reply, but Jack continued, “And before you say yes you should know my opinions on what you do haven't changed. I’m still having trouble correlating the man I care about with the one who’s wanted.”

Gabriel pulled away. “We are the same person.”

“I know.”

“This is going to be a point of contention for us.”

“It is. That may change in the future, but for now, it is. I still want to be with you Gabriel, and I'm willing to work for that chance.”

“I'm really worth that much to you?”

He didn't hesitate. “Yes.” _You need to tell him._ “I don’t like seeing you in pain, though you carry it well. I don’t know what I can do to help you, and can't fathom what you go through on a daily basis, but I want to be there in case you decide to let me try.” He looked down at the table, drumming his fingers against it. _Tell him._ Should he? Gabriel was keeping plenty from him, but secrets weren't something to build a relationship on... _Do it._ But it _was_ early, and it would probably go better when they were closer, knew more about the other. _How can he be expected to trust you when you're lying to him?_

“Something on your mind Jack?”

 _Now or never._ “Yeah, actually. Gabe, I want to be honest with you, so there's something I have to—”

“Captain Reyes,” Hades said, derailing his thoughts and deflating his courage.

“What did I tell you about my room being private?” Jack said with a groan.

Gabriel gave him a questioning look.

“He interrupted my shower,” Jack replied flatly.

“Hades,” Gabriel spoke at the ceiling, “weren't you banned from bathrooms after you froze Jesse half to death?”

“From all current crew members. Yes. Jack is not.”

“He is now.” Gabriel spoke with finality, and Jack was floored, really, by how much Gabriel wanted him to be there. He wasn’t entirely expecting it, nor did Jack think he really deserved it.

Jack sighed a little. _I'll try again later._

“Acknowledged Captain. Adding Jack Morrison to the crew registry. Would you like to assign permissions now?”

“Hold off on that. What did you need Hades?”

“Venator Weir requests an audience.”

“Patch her through.”

“She has boarded the ship and is on the bridge.”

Both Jack and Gabriel’s eyes widened, and they spoke in an eerie unison, “Clothes.”

“They're in my room,” Gabriel got up and headed for the door. “C’mon.”

Normally Jack would protest, but as he had no desire to have Venator Weir see him in a towel, he complied. When they got there Gabriel tossed him his bag and pointed to the bathroom.

Jack entered and got dressed, holding back the urge to tell Gabriel that it would be faster if he helped him, knowing that was absolutely untrue. Still, it was hard to deny how much Jack wanted the man, but he was more than willing to go at whatever pace Gabriel chose to set.

Gabriel was waiting for him when Jack had finished. He was sitting on his bed, having put on his armored boots and a nicer shirt with sleeves, which hugged his muscles, accentuating the regal power of his body.

“You good?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

He nodded. Gabriel stood and walked to the exit. He stopped, holding out a hand at his side, and looked over his shoulder at Jack expectantly. Jack followed, talking Gabriel’s hand in his, and together they made their way to the bridge.

 

* * *

 

Gabriel felt like he was floating, and probably would have been, but he didn't want to alarm Jack with all of the decidedly not human things he could do. Not yet anyway. There'd be a lot he'd likely have to explain as their relationship developed and… He was in a relationship, wasn't he? He and Jack were boyfriends, weren't they?

The notion made his heart soar, and he glanced at the man beside him, who met his eyes and gave him a smile, warm and genuine as if the two of them were melting in the heat of each other. Gabriel wanted to kiss Jack then. He was glad he'd missed his lips when he was drunk, so he could at least give Jack one for real.

There were other things Gabriel wanted, the need to just be with Jack (now that the feeling was confirmed mutual) was all-consuming, but he didn't want to jump right in.

He couldn’t.

Gabriel hadn't been with anyone since he'd ‘ascended beyond the shackles of mortality’ as it had so elegantly been expressed to him, and the extent of his abilities were… unknown. Even if he'd been, mostly, capable of controlling the powers he knew of he still worried about hurting Jack. If a few, albeit very bad, nightmares could cause him to punch a hole through armor reinforced walls then getting intimate with Jack might be more than either of them bargained for.

But Jack wasn't making it easy to play it safe.

He'd seen Jack shirtless before, of course, but the sight of him right out of the shower, the way that towel hugged his slim waist, how droplets of water fell into the furrows of his pecs and abs, was something to behold. Gabriel had found himself filled with want, and he hadn't exactly been blind to Jack's physical responses towards him either.

 _Slow_ . He just needed to take it slow, make sure it was what they both wanted, and they could deal with whatever happened. _Unless I incinerate Jack._

_Fuck._

He really did need to see the High Consul.

But that, and everything else, would have to wait.

Venator Weir, for reasons he could only guess, but really didn't want to know, had decided to pay a personal visit to his ship. Gabriel assumed, since he hadn't heard a thing about it since he'd left her office, that it had to do with whatever assignment the High Consul had given her to deliver.

_Joy._

“You're quiet,” Jack said.

“Thinking. Not like you're chatty either.”

“I wasn't expecting to see Venator Weir again,” he felt Jack's grip on his hand tighten.

Gabriel glanced at him. Jack was giving the floor a one thousand yard stare.

“Did something else happen?”

Jack snapped back to reality. “Oh, no. Nothing important. It's just going to be uncomfortable seeing her again, that's all.”

It didn't sound like the whole truth. Jack had been trying to tell him something earlier, but he wasn't going to press. Whatever it was, Jack would tell him when he was ready. “Well, I'll be with you this time.”

“Yeah,” the corner of Jack's mouth turned up. “You will be.”

As they approached the bridge the sound of laughter echoed. Gabriel entered with Jack. Neither of them let go of the other.

Venator Weir was sitting in the captain's chair, which was much too big for her. She was happily chatting with Amélie.

“I was going to ask why you were on my ship unannounced Ludwig, but I guess that’s been answered,” Gabriel said.

Jack side eyed him.

“Amélie and her squadron were my escorts onto Vidua when I last visited their Matriarch,” Ludwig replied, staring briefly at Jack before hopping down from the chair and moving to the two of them with a practiced stride fit for her status. “As Captain she was also my guide while on the surface. This was many years ago, of course.”

Jack gave Amélie a knowing smirk, “Running errands for the ship were you?”

Amélie shrugged, “I went to visit Venator Weir after I'd picked up supplies, yes. I also invited her here when she mentioned she had something to deliver to you, Captain. I apologize if the invitation was out of line.”

“It’s fine Amélie. I was busy anyway.” Gabriel immediately regretted his phrasing.

Ludwig looked to Gabriel, and then to Jack, brow elevated inquisitively as she settled on him. What _had_ happened during their meeting? “I see that.”

“Jack and I are dating,” Gabriel said, announcing it with such confidence it sounded more like they were getting married. He didn’t care; he wanted everyone to know how good he felt.

Ludwig put her small, clawed hands on Gabriel’s forearms. “He is who you want to be with?”

“Yes.”

She nodded then placed her hands atop his and Jack’s. He sensed Jack tense beside him. “Then I am happy for you both. Mr. Morrison… Jack.”

Jack met her gaze. Ludwig removed her hands only to set one over Jack's injury, and one over his heart. “You will be fine if you do not give up. You should know how to do that.”

He heard Jack let out a deep breath, squeeze Gabriel’s hand, and then relax. Of course. They'd obviously had an extensive talk about Jack's injury, something Jack was absolutely terrified of, when she'd fired him. _That explains a lot._

Gabriel rubbed a thumb reassuringly alongside Jack's index finger. Thinking it best to change the subject he said, “So, what massive waste of time did the High Consul decide to bestow upon me?”

Ludwig replied by reaching around to remove a cinched bag that had been strapped to her back. She opened it and handed Gabriel a glass bottle with a handwritten note attached that had been rolled up into a scroll.

“Is this what I think it is?” Gabriel held the bottle in both hands, rotating it slowly. The liquid inside was black with a crystalline sheen.

“That's Eclipse Wine,” Jack said.

“Astute of you,” Ludwig said with an approving nod. “Indeed it is. That bottle is yours to keep.”

“Ludwig I can't accept this,” Gabriel spoke quickly. “It’s much too expensive.”

Eclipse Wine was crafted every five thousand lunar cycles (about one hundred years) under the full eclipse of all four moons on Xernas II. The one bottle probably cost as much as Gabriel’s ship would have had he acquired it legally.

“An odd thing to hear from you Gabriel,” she tipped her beak up. “I am afraid the subject is not up for debate.” She indicated to the note with a clawed finger. “Read.”

Gabriel unraveled the note. He noticed Jack was trying to read it too, so he held it to the side a bit, allowing it. The whole thing was written in perfectly crafted cursive script and shimmering gold ink, and Gabriel wouldn't be surprised if it contained actual gold:

 

_To The Esteemed Captain Reyes,_

 

_I was elated when Ludwig informed me of the news. Please accept this bottle of Eclipse Wine as a token of my felicitation on your new relationship. I wish you a bountiful eternity._

_My deepest sympathies for those lost on your last mission; this one will carry substantially less risk. You are to travel to Xernas II and retrieve my cases of Eclipse Wine. They have already been purchased, and you will be expected._

_After, there is a permanent dinner reservation for two at Four Moons. Order whatever you and Jack desire. There is no limit. Dress appropriately._

_I look forward to our next meeting. We will discuss your predicament then._

 

_By My Grace,_

_Hazat, Seraph High Consul_

 

“You know,” Gabriel narrowed his eyes at Ludwig. “It was entirely possible that one of us could have said no, then these gifts would have been for nothing.”

At that Ludwig actually laughed at him.

“That wasn't even a possibility in your mind, was it?” Gabriel asked, deadpan.

“No,” Ludwig replied. “You both are hopelessly simple to read.”

Gabriel sighed, glancing at Jack who was smiling. “So a wine pick up huh? I was expecting something more… elaborate.”

“That is what He wanted.”

“You sure? That's awfully unlike him. Are you positive he doesn't want to send me into Tenebrel territory to pick up a snapping, acid-spitting xenopod for his salad? Or, I don't know, onto a toxic moon to find a very specific kind of gemstone to replace the one that popped out of one of his many, many rings?”

“No, just the wine this time.”

Gabriel ignored the incredulous look Jack was giving him. “Alright.” He rolled up the note, pocketing it. “There a time frame?”

“Soon.”

It would be a vague answer for anyone else. Gabriel knew it meant ‘finish your business first, but don't keep me waiting’. Speaking of, he still needed to talk to Sombra.

“I'll let you and Amélie get back to catching up then,” he said, putting the wine bottle back in the cinch bag and slinging the drawstrings over his shoulder. “Always a pleasure Ludwig.”

Ludwig nodded. “Do take care Gabriel, and Jack. I will see you both again. By His Will.”

Gabriel bowed his head, “And by His Grace.” He left the bridge with Jack in tow.

“Hey,” Jack said, walking beside Gabriel. “I don’t mean to pry, but you know the High Consul too? I mean, okay that's obvious, but did he really send you on those ridiculous missions?”

“Yup.”

“Aren't xenopods big enough to eat someone your size?”

“Uh huh.”

“And he _still_ sent you?”

“I'm sensing a problem Jack.”

“How exactly do you know this guy?”

“Can't tell you.” Gabriel shrugged, tone light. “Doesn't make sense to when you're going to hear that story many, many times in the not so distant future.”

Jack blinked. “What exactly do you mean by that…?”

“You wanted me,” he said with a smirk, “and now you're also stuck with every other being that's a part of my life.”

“The High Consul isn't your father or something, is he?”

“Nah. I lost most of my biological family to Tenebrel. Long time ago.” It was a common thread a lot of living humans shared. Family by blood was rare nowadays. Gabriel didn't remember his well, but he supposed that didn't matter much. He'd found his own family out amongst the stars, and they’d become far too important to forget. “Hazat is so much worse. I wouldn't call him ‘this guy’ either, or anything informal, just as a heads up.”

“Trying to scare me away already?”

Gabriel slung an arm around Jack, pulling him in, their shoulders crashing together. “Nah. I'm just giving you an idea of what you're in for.”

Jack chuckled. “I think I can handle it, Gabe.”

“I hope so,” Gabriel’s tone dropped.

Jack stopped walking, causing Gabriel to stop too. They faced each other, and Jack took Gabriel’s hands, looking him in the eye. “What's wrong?”

“Nervous, I guess. There's a lot you don't know about me Jack. I just don't want you to have second thoughts about this when you find out certain things.”

“I won't.” He paused as if searching for a thought. His next words were slow, careful, “As long as you show me the same understanding, should the time come. I want this to work between us.”

“I do too,” Gabriel nodded. “And yes,” he took a deep breath, “that seems only fair.” He lifted one of his hands and cupped Jack's cheek, which Jack leaned into. After a moment he said, “Is it alright if I kiss you?”

“You don't have to ask, Gabriel. Of course it's alright.”

“Good. I've been wanting to give you a proper one.” Gabriel got in close, able to feel the heat of Jack's breath ghost his own lips. He put his hands on Jack's hips and—

“Hey. Gabe!”

Gabriel and Jack froze. _Damn it all._ Gabriel turned his head to see Sombra in the hall, arms folded, tapping her foot. He held back a reflexive groan of annoyance. Jack did not.

“You and Jack can do gross stuff in public later.” She pointed at him. “I need to talk to you.”

“Very well,” Gabriel sighed and turned back to Jack, whose cheeks had turned a rosy hue, though his brows were knit together and he was clenching his teeth. “Raincheck?”

“Yeah,” he said.

“Sorry.”

“Not your fault,” Jack shrugged. “You’ll just owe me more than one kiss.”

Gabriel grinned. “Easy enough.”

“ _Gabe._ ”

He gave one last look at Jack before turning on the balls of his feet and hurrying over to Sombra. They walked away from Jack, dropping out of sight and earshot, but neither spoke until they'd ducked into a room.

“Hades,” Gabriel said. “Secure the room.”

“Acknowledged.”

“What did you find out Sombra?” he said calmly.

She smirked. “Well, the manifest shipping code didn't amount to much: ‘material of unknown origin’. But, my contact was able to get me access to the Cargo Loader Union’s chat logs, and you are going to love this.”

A screen popped up between them, and Sombra tapped it, expanding an image of their target ship: GCU (Galactic Carrier United) 1847-S. A visual of a wavelength recording appeared below, and soon Gabriel was hearing the voices of the crew members responsible for the cargo.

_“I'm not getting near that crate again. You move it.”_

_“No fucking way. Whatever’s in there… it makes me feel like I want to come apart, like it's pulling me in, like I'm supposed to be with it, and no. Just fuck no. It's too fucking creepy.”_

_“Yeah. I don't like it either. I'd push it out into space if I thought I could.”_

_A pause._

_“You want to go get a drink and talk about pushing it out into space instead?”_

_“Sounds good to me.”_

The recording ended and Gabriel was smiling. “Good work Sombra. Looks like we found another piece.”

“Only an unknown number left to go.”

“For now,” he said. “I assume you've figured out when we're going to go pick it up?”

“You have time to do the High Consul’s errand, and go on your date, before we strike. GCU 1847-S has a few stops to make before it passes by Xernas II.” She closed the screen with a snap of her fingers.

“Perfect,” Gabriel said.

Sombra looked at him expectantly.

He quirked a brow. “Is there something else…?”

“Well, there _is_ another piece of cargo on that manifest that’ll still be on the ship when we board that I need. It's nothing major. Likely won't be missed.”

“What is it?”

Her answer wasn't snarky, nor was it filled with devious intent. It was, surprisingly, serious, “I can’t tell you, but I promise it's nothing destructive.”

Gabriel narrowed his gaze. “It's not alive is it?”

She scoffed. “No.”

They both stared at each other. Her and Jesse had snuck an animal onto the ship once. The ‘cute little thing’ lived right under Jesse's hat for about a week until it ate nearly everything in the kitchen, grew about ten sizes larger, and made a nest out of the old armory and two adjacent rooms.

He folded his arms, puffing out his chest a little, and tapping his fingers against his bicep as he stared her down. It worked to get an answer from her maybe half the time. “What's it for?”

“Can't tell you that either.”

“Sombra.”

“Please, Gabe.”

“I could pull rank.”

“Just trust me on this, okay?”

“You know I've had a bad experience with that phrase, coming from you,” he said with a smirk.

“ _Por_ _favor, eres el mejor capitán de la galaxia.”_

“We're at flattery already?”

She huffed and rolled her eyes, “ _Gabe_.”

He put his hands up at chest level, “Alright, alright. Though I really should say no considering your interruption earlier.”

Sombra scoffed, “Not like you won't have time to do that later. I see you added Jack to the crew roster.”

“I did.”

“So how long until the straight-laced security officer commits to a life of piracy?”

“Don't push him Sombra. He doesn't have to do anything he doesn't want to.”

“Shame. He's got the skill set for it.”

“But not the heart.”

“Then he best not get in the way,” Sombra said, tone a warning. “The mission is more important.” It was a statement and a question.

“Yes.” He said quietly.

Silence hung between them. It was true, for the time being, and Sombra was worried Jack would, one day, become more important. Gabriel knew he would be. It was only a matter of time. He’d fallen; too fast and too deep for that not to be the inevitable outcome.

She waved dismissively, “You're free to go. I'll let you know when I’ve got the all of logistics hammered out.”

“Thank you Sombra. I don't know what I'd do without you,” he said genuinely.

She shrugged, “Be lost in space probably.”

He shook his head, not giving her an answer either way, “Hades, door.” Gabriel left the room and strode into the hall, heading for his room, thoughts shifting to his upcoming date with Jack.

The words on the High Council’s note simmered at the back of of his brain. Gabriel really hoped he hadn't accidentally turned his ‘dinner appropriate attire’ into an ash pile...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I may actually need to make an outline for the next few chapters. Ahahaha. Also, I wanted to say thank you, genuinely, to everyone who's read this fic. The feedback I've gotten on it is pretty overwhelming, and I appreciate all of the support on it thus far. We're buckled in at this point, so enjoy the ride.
> 
> Andro beta read. <3
> 
> kerrigore.tumblr.com


	8. One of Us

Jack wandered aimlessly through the corridors of the Blackwatch, locked on how damn close he'd been to actually kissing Gabriel. Sure, he'd have another chance, but he found himself craving the warmth and touches of his new boyfriend.

_Boyfriend._

The word made Jack positively giddy. He'd even considered skipping down the hall at one point, but quickly reined that idea in as he didn’t want Hades to have video proof of him having done so. He was letting himself go too easily, dropping his guard, and while he internally scolded himself for not being more cautious, a greater part of him was starting not to care. He'd never thought he'd have a chance at a future with someone else (honestly, he assumed the job would kill him first), and though the relationship between he and Gabriel had only just begun, Jack's mind couldn't help but wander, hand in hand, with the possibilities. He let himself succumb to bliss, for once oblivious to all of his negative thoughts.

“Hades,” he said.

“How may I assist you Jack?”

“Where's Gabe? Are he and Sombra done their meeting?”

“Yes, it has concluded. He is in his quarters.”

“Great. Can you tell him I'm on my way?”

“I am afraid I cannot do that,” Hades said calmly. “Your presence is required elsewhere.”

Jack stopped walking and stared up at the ceiling. He definitely didn’t like the sound of that. A feeling of dread started to slowly ascend his spine. “What do you mean?”

Jack suddenly felt himself being picked up. He shouted in protest, squirming against the iron grip that held his midsection. That did fuck all, so he reached for his side arm only to realize it wasn't there; he'd never put the thigh holster back on.

“Calm down,” a booming voice said. He looked up and saw Mako.

“This is uncomfortable,” Jack said. Mako had him wedged into the crook of his elbow. He sighed and let his arms dangle helplessly.

“You'll get used to it.”

“I _can_ walk, you know,” Jack huffed.

“This is easier for everyone,” Jamison said. He was sitting on Mako’s broad shoulders, leaning on the top of his head with a forearm. “Gets us all to the right place mate.”

“And where the hell is that? Is this something I need to be concerned with?”

“Do you always ask so many questions?” Jamison said. “Relax blondie, we're not doing anything Gabe’s gonna disapprove of if that's what's got your panties in a twist.” He laughed. “Just enjoy the ride.”

Jack wanted to yell at them both, but refrained, knowing it wouldn’t actually change his situation. “I'm not doing this again in the future,” Jack grumbled.

“Noted, but no guarantees,” Mako said.

Jack fell to silence as he let himself be carried around the ship like a bag, arms folded, taking note of his surroundings in case they went somewhere he hadn't been. Familiar territory was all he saw, and it wasn't long before they reached their destination: the mess.

“Okay, I _definitely_ could have walked here,” Jack said as Mako set him down, keeping Jack between his body and the doors as if he were afraid he'd bolt.

“In you go,” Jamison said.

Mako gave Jack a gentle shove forward, and when the automatic doors opened he was greeted by darkness. Before Jack could say anything the lights came on, a puff of confetti was launched at him from a hovering drone, and he heard a chorus of ‘surprise’.

He saw Jesse, Sombra, and Hades near the dining counter. They were all wearing colorful paper party hats. Jesse’s was stuck on top of his Stetston. Both he and Sombra (who Jack figured was forcing it) were smiling while Hades was looking more like someone had just died. Amélie wasn't there, but Jack assumed she was still with Venator Weir.

He stepped further inside and Jesse walked forward. Mako and Jamison entered from behind, and they surrounded Jack in a loose huddle.

“Welcome to the crew partner,” Jesse said, clapping Jack on the shoulder.

“This is what the secrecy was for?” Jack laughed. “A welcome party?”

“Yeah, well we found out Gabe officially added you to the roster, so we figured a celebration was in order.”

“I don’t… I don’t know what to say.” Jack could barely remember the last time someone had thrown him a party, and it struck him then just how much it meant that Gabriel’s crew would put something together for what was otherwise an insignificant event.

“You can think about it while you eat,” Sombra said, pushing Jesse to the left with her hip and ushering Hades over with a wave. The construct presented Jack with a purple-frosted cupcake. It had blue and red sprinkles and a lit candle poking out of the top.

Jack couldn’t help but smile, though he noticed that Sombra was keeping a greater distance between him than the others were. He choose not to address it then.  No reason to ruin the mood.

“Thank you,” he said, taking the cupcake. “I didn’t expect that being saved by a bunch of outlaws would lead to, well…” Jack shook his head. It was too early to call them family, too early to call the ship and Gabriel home, but he was happy to be a part of whatever all of it was. “I appreciate being given a chance.”

“Just so you know,” Jesse said, “no one’s goin’ to pressure you into participatin’ in what we do.”

“You mean the piracy?” Jack quashed his usual hostility towards the subject.

Jesse folded his arms. “Yeah. Though, just by bein’ on this ship you’ll be involved in the eyes of the Overwatch Alliance,” a sacrifice he was willing to make to be with Gabriel, especially when they find out he had little intention of fulfilling his contract, “but you won’t have to sully your conscience. You’re free to do whatever you want, mostly. There are a few restricted areas you won’t have access to.”

“I expected as much,” Jack said with a nod. “Not an issue.”

“Didn’t think it would be.”

“I will ensure it does not become one.” Hades said. The lips of his construct didn’t move. They remained set in a firm line of misery. Sombra was standing on two drones, which lifted her a few extra inches off the ground so she could put another party hat on the construct’s head, setting them up to look like horns. “Am I finished here?”

“ _Que_ , not having fun Hades?”

“I am not programmed for fun.”

“I’d fix that for you if you let me get to your core.”

“With all due respect Sombra,” he said flatly, “you lack the ability.” Hades vanished and the two hats fell to the floor.

“That a challenge?” Sombra muttered.

“Alright, alright, enough with the downer talk.” Jamison said, hopping down off Mako to grab the hats. He put one on and handed the other to Mako. Mako looked at the hat, then at Jamison, then back at the hat. Jamison made a pouty face. Jack half-expected Mako to crumple the hat, but instead he sighed and set it atop his head. “This is supposed to be a party,” Jamison said, giving his friend a thumbs up before turning his attention to Jack. “Well go on,” he indicated towards the cupcake with a finger, “blow it out.” A sneer. “Gotta get the practice in.”

“Whoa, whoa,” Jack floundered, cheeks heating up, “What? I’m not— We haven’t—”

Jamison slapped his thigh and cackled. “I'm just kidding. I have no idea what Gabriel likes, other than you. It may not be your birthday, but you still get to make a wish.” He winked. “Ship tradition.”

Jack drew a deep breath through his nose. “Are you always like this?”

Jamison blinked. “Always like what?”

“Yes,” Mako cut in, “he is. Now hurry up with the damn candle so the rest of us can eat too.”

A drone with a tray of cupcakes was hovering nearby.

“Right. Sorry.” Jack blew out the flame. Gabriel was the only thing on his mind. He then took a bite out of his cupcake. “Who made this?”

Mako raised a hand. “Guilty.”

Jack watched Jamison shovel three cupcakes into his mouth. He tossed the wrappers on the floor, which a drone cleaned up. Dance music came on and he started moving to it. A bunch of drones flew out of a small panel in the wall, surrounding Jamison and dancing with him.

“It's really good,” Jack said. “Like, sinfully so.”

“Gabriel's not the only one on the ship who can cook. We can all make something that's at least edible, almost.”

“I'm guessing you're referring to Jamison,” Jack said.

Mako smirked, “How'd you know?”

Jack chuckled.

“He's banned from going on the other side of the dining counter.” Mako motioned with a thumb. “Tried making dinner with a plasma cutter once. Lit part of the mess on fire along with his hair.”

“And my hat,” Jesse grumbled.

“You needed a new one anyway,” Sombra said. She was leaning on a drone while eating her cupcake, keeping outside of their loose circle. “Your old one had holes in it.”

“What you call holes I call history.”

“Just like that hat.”

“Hey now, that's not fair.”

“Not much is.” She licked icing off her finger and stood up straight, setting the cupcake wrapper on the drone. “Thanks for the snack Mako,” she started to walk out. Sombra made eye contact with Jack. Her gaze was sharp enough to cut him to shreds, tone a clear warning, “Welcome to the crew.” And then she left.

“What's her issue? She's had an aversion to me since I got here.”

Jesse sighed, “I'm not sure exactly. I have an idea, but it's not somethin’ I can’t rightly tell you. I don't make a habit of airin’ the personal lives of my crewmates, so unfortunately you're gonna have to ask her.”

“Of course.” Jack would have to decide the best way to confront her, or maybe he'd just ignore it. The Blackwatch was a big ship. Since Jack wasn't planning on participating in their illegal dealings, how often was he really going to interact with her? Sombra hadn't shown him any kindness, and she did have the potential to out his true identity before he could tell Gabriel on his own terms, making her the most dangerous person on the ship. “I'm not going to bother unless it really becomes a problem. It just bothers me, since I can't recall doing anything to have personally slighted her.”

“Yeah,” Jesse offered him a supportive pat on the shoulder. “I don't think you did either. If it helps, the rest of us like you just fine.”

“Good to know,” Jack said, focusing on Jesse. “So, now that I’m part of the crew am I going to get some insight on what you guys are actually doing? Your exploits aren't exactly under the radar, and you're not just attacking ships for the thrill.”

Jesse quirked a brow. He gave a quick nod to Mako, who went to join Jamison, leaving them be. Jesse then sat down at the counter where a drone served him another cupcake and some milk.

“How can you be sure we ain't?” Jesse sipped his drink.

“C'mon Jesse,” Jack said, sitting beside him. “I can see Mako and Jamison enjoying every bit of being a space pirate with their background as salvagers, who often walk the line of legality anyway, but not the rest of you. Gabriel has a purpose. I hear it in his voice. And that purpose, whatever it truly is, has inspired the rest of you to not only stay, but fight with him. Yeah, Gabriel absolutely has a certain magnetism,” _among other things_ , “but it's more than that. Sombra's too intelligent, too calculating to just be charmed, and Amélie wouldn't be with you if she didn't believe your cause was worth it. She wanted to help end the war.”

“We all do.”

Jack nodded. “Is that what the piracy is somehow working towards?”

“In a way,” Jesse said. “It's more complicated than you're makin’ it out to be Jack.”

“Then explain it to me. I'm going to find out sooner or later just by being on the ship.”

“That's mighty presumptuous of you,” Jesse said with a laugh. “I’m not tellin’ you shit,” he pushed a finger into Jack's bicep, “but if you let me finish my cupcake, I'll be more than happy to show you, just because we’re friends and all.”

“How can I say no to that?” Jack agreed.

 

* * *

 

Jesse had led him to a part of the ship he'd never been to before. Compared to the rest of what he'd seen it looked to be in a state of disrepair. The walls were burnt, but not from an explosion, not from something like Gabriel's powers. The patterns were uneven, as if a fire had burst forth from inside the walls. There were also… claw marks, and an odd pulsing black substance that coated the entire hall, including the floor, thickening as they continued on.

“Uh, Jesse, what is this stuff?” Jack asked, keeping towards the middle of the corridor.

Jesse had his hands in his pockets, shoulders slumped, appearing completely at ease. “You can touch it. Won't bite.”

“Okay, but that still doesn't answer my question.”

“Nestin' tissue.”

Jack stared at Jesse, “Nesting tissue.”

“Yup.” He reached out with his human hand and dragged the pads of his fingers over the tissue. Orange light trailed behind them, leaving an ephemeral trail.

“I understand what it is, but why is it here?” Jack drifted over to the opposite side of the hall and carefully touched it. The tissue was warm, alive. The same orange light appeared like it had with Jesse, but it slowly changed the longer Jack kept contact, shifting to purple like his wound.

“Because it needs to be,” Jesse replied.

Whispers invaded Jack's mind. A language he couldn't understand, coming at him from all sides, bombarding him with their echoes.

Stars flickered to life on the wall’s dark canvas, turning the hallway into a night sky. Some peeled away, floating in the space between he and Jesse, flickering in and out of existence.

“ _Innaeh sel'et zareshnah... I can feel you there.”_

_“Ze'auh… Terran.”_

_“Where are you?”_ A voice in his head sang. “ _You don't belong here.”_

Jack squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, taking his hand off the wall.

_“I will find you.”_

His eyes flew open. Nothing was amiss; the hall was still a creepy mass of flesh, and there were no stars. He rubbed his temples, and reminded himself to mention to Gabriel that he was hearing and seeing things again. Jack was just glad it was nothing like the last time...

Jesse had stopped in front of a door, outline visible beneath. The panel beside it still had power, touch-screen covered by a thin layer of black. Jesse wiped the display and entered a code, which activated a biometric scanner. “Do me a favor Jack,” he said as the door opened.

Jack did not like the sound of that. “Sure Jess. What did you need?”

“Don't do anything threatenin'.” Jesse barely took a step through the door before a large, dark blur knocked him on his ass.

Jack, who prided himself on a quick reaction time, ended up flat on his back, pinned down by an oppressive weight. He didn't try to struggle, nose to nose with a snarling, reptilian maw that dripped beads of oily drool onto his chin.

“Hey.” Jesse whistled. “Marmalade, get offa him!”

The creature didn't listen, closing its mouth and angling its elongated snout further so it was pushing into Jack's face.

“Jack. Don't move.”

“Wasn't planning on it.”

“She's not normally like this. Marm! C'mon now! Jack's a friend!” Jesse got up and tried to wrap his arms around Marmalade's midsection only to get swatted back by her whip-like tail. “Damn it.”

Marmalade inhaled, nostrils flaring as she sniffed Jack. As much as Jack wanted to try and fight the creature off, he remained still, hoping he wasn't going to get his face eaten. It would be real tragic, a shame even, after he’d survived almost being psychically crushed to death into an easy to jettison ball. She examined his cheeks, lips, forehead, and then moved on to his arms. Marmalade took only a few seconds to examine his right. When she got to his left, her head coiled back and she hissed at it.

_The fucking Shadow Rot…_

She leveled her gaze with Jack's. Marmalade had two sets of eyes on the sides of her head, the closer pair able to be angled to see ahead of her. They locked on him, as intense as a sun. Jack remained still, keeping eye contact, showing no fear.

The stand-off broke when she licked his face, and before Jack could even make a sputtering noise the massive clawed hands that pinned Jack grabbed him by the shoulders. Marmalade sat on her haunches, also pulling Jack up into a sitting position. She was easily twice the size of a normal human, built like some odd cross between a gorilla and a komodo dragon, with small hind legs and powerful front ones. Her limbs were bright orange, like her tongue, which faded to the smooth blackness that was the rest of her body. She didn't have any scales, but down her side was a lateral line of light traveling all the way to the tip of her tail.

“Guh,” Jack wiped his face, flinging excess alien monster slobber.

Marmalade made a purring noise at Jack, and he noticed part of her tail wagging back and forth behind her… like the dog he'd had as a kid back when Earth was still habitable.

Space was a trip.

He sighed, eyeing Marmalade, who tilted her head to the side. “Jesse, her breath stinks. What do you feed her, raw meat?”

“And other things, yes.” Jesse walked over to them and sat down beside Marmalade. “You done being terrifyin’ ya big lizard?”

Marmalade nudged Jesse and Jack watched her tail grab his hat and set it atop her head. She let out another purring noise.

“I’m not an expert on alien fauna, but isn't she a Devoran?”

“Yup.”

“And aren't they indiscriminate eaters?”

“Yup.”

“How did you domesticate one?”

“Lots of practice and some good ‘ol fashioned TLC,” Jesse gave a thumbs up with his cybernetic arm.

Jack blinked. “She didn't eat, uh…?” He pointed at it.

Jesse laughed and stood up, taking his hat back from Marmalade. He offered Jack a hand and helped him stand. “I mean yeah she's destroyed this thing a few times. Thinks it's a damn chew toy. But, uh, don't worry Jack, the original was lost in the war.”

“Good. I mean, not good it was lost in the first place, but—”

Jesse pat his shoulder, “It's fine. C’mon,” he headed through the door with Marmalade in tow. On four legs she stood as high as Jesse's waist.

The room they entered has covered in more nesting tissue, which was much thicker than it was in the hall. It wrapped around weapon racks and storage lockers, some of which were still open, and, woven into the tissue Jack saw bones, which he guessed were from Marmalade's meals. If the Blackwatch had ever had intruders, Hades would have likely dealt with them before they got that far.

“Jess, where are we going exactly?”

“To the most thrillin’ place on the ship!”

Jesse lead Jack to another door, opening a case embedded in the wall. Several pairs of shaded goggles hung inside, including one with four eye coverings, which Jesse took first to outfit Marmalade. Jesse then handed a pair to Jack before putting on his own. They were industrial-grade, meant for plasma tool work and protection against bright light exposure in space.

Another full-body scanner washed over Jesse, and when the door opened, there was a laser grid between them and a second door. The grid deactivated, and the second door gave way to a would-have-been-blinding light. They crossed over a threshold onto a circular catwalk with a railing. Several levels below was a massive circular crystal with a substantial chunk missing.

Jack’s implants immediately started a scan. The inside was was made up of massive six-sided prisms, which were intergrown and difficult to distinguish from one another, while the outside was immaculately polished. He was unable to detect the use of a single tool. Jack also couldn't tell what it was made of, but the whole thing was opalescent against a royal blue, reflective facets reminding him of water in sunlight.

The bright white light it was emitting had no discernable source within the crystal. It was just everywhere. Jack felt...

He grasped the railing.

The air was heavy, but not oppressive; a comforting, secure weight, like that of an embrace from a lover, and Jack was overwhelmed by calm. And he wanted nothing more than to get closer to the source...

“Whoa there,” Jesse had grabbed Jack by the seat of his pants with his cybernetic arm. Marmalade had also wrapped her tail around his midsection.

Jack snapped back to himself, only to find he was half over the railing, leaning forward to try and get closer to the crystal; a distance that would have surely killed him.

“Fucking shit,” Jack scrambled to get fully back behind the railing, holding it tight. “Why did I..?”

“Everyone does it the first time they see this thing. Trust me on that one. Marm, keep him tight.”

Marmalade held him firm.

Jack gave her a ‘thank you’ pat on the snout. “Jesse, what is that.”

“Hey now, I told you I'd show you what we were doing. Nothin’ more.”

“Yeah, okay, but this is a giant crystal that's trying to pull me into it like it has a mind of its own.”

“You’re not far off,” Jesse said with a chuckle. “If it makes ya feel better it does that to everything livin’, and will until it's put back together. It's tryin’ to fill the holes. Even now it's pullin’ me too. I'm just used to it. Look, I said I can't tell you about the details, not without Gabriel's say, but we're tryin’ to put it back together, and it's the most important thing I've ever done in my life.”

Jack gave him a look of disbelief, but Jesse's expression didn't budge. “You're serious?”

“As serious as the day I named Marmalade.”

He wanted to press, but if Gabriel had told Jesse to keep whatever information he had under wraps, then there was no point. Still, he couldn't help but wonder why the crystal meant so much to the two of them.

“How'd that one go?”

“Well enough. She likes sweets. Marmalade was the first thing she got into when I brought her to the mess. It was orange, she's orange… partly.” He shrugged. “Seemed like an easy choice.”

“Jesse McCree, naming genius.”

“Among other things,” Jesse smirked.

“Sure Jess.” Jack looked down at the crystal. “So let me get this straight. You guys are using an experimental ship to help steal pieces of a glowing rock that likes to devour life in order to…stop the war…?”

“Good work Detective Morrison.” Jesse made a pair of finger guns at Jack. “You get a prize.”

Marmalade pulled Jack away from the railing and used her tail to take Jesse's hat again, which she placed on Jack's head.

“Marm I wasn't bein’ literal.”

“Probably looks better on me anyway,” Jack said, doing a little twirl as he tipped the hat at Jesse. “What do you think Marmalade?”

She chirped in approval.

“Good. I guess I'll keep it then.” Jack headed out.

“Jack! Damn it Jack, gimme back my hat!”

Jack quickened his pace, laughing. Jesse would get it back, but not before Jack caused at least a little bit of trouble. It was only fair after getting tackled by a Devoran and shown a possibly sentient, definitely dangerous crystal with almost no explanation. He'd have to add them to the growing list of weird shit he'd had to deal with since cheating Death, which he was certain would only get worse. Until then, he figured he'd enjoy himself for a change.

He'd broken into a run with Marmalade at his side, echoes of Jesse shouting and scolding his pet chasing after them.

 

* * *

 

Jack had given Jesse his hat back after no less than five horrible cowboy impressions, complete with the Western accent. They'd parted ways near the mess, where Jesse decided to bring Marmalade for cupcakes. Jack still heard music, so he assumed at least Jamison was keeping the party going, but he had no interest in rejoining. He just wanted to see Gabriel.

“Hey Hades.”

The AI didn't reply.

“Hades?”

Jack heard footsteps.

He scanned both ends of the hall, and saw no one.

_“Terran.”_

“Hello?” Jack called. “Hades? Are you screwing with me? I thought you didn't have a sense of humor.”

 _“Terran,”_ the voice whispered, drawing closer until it rumbled in his bones. _“I see you.”_

Jack's eyes blew wide and his vision tunneled, suddenly surrounded by stars, by electricity, which fired synaptic bolts between the points of light. Flickering ash, suspended as if someone had paused a blizzard, burned blue-violet. The voices of so many filled the space between his ears, but they immediately silenced at the behest of one.

Far ahead of Jack stood a humanoid figure covered from head to toe in a cloak, face shrouded by a hood. Locks of long hair cascaded from it only to weave and rise near the tips, as if underwater.

He blinked and the being was directly in front of him. When its cracked, poisonous purple-painted lips moved all Jack saw in its mouth was rot, sharp teeth, and the crackle of Tenebrel energy. Jack scrunched his nose at the smell of death that forced its way up his nostrils. He tried to turn in revulsion, but hands with gangly fingers tipped by sharp, yellowed nails held him. They scraped against Jack's cheeks, pressed into his skin.

It grinned.

“What do you want from me.”

“Jack?” Gabriel's voice. “Hey!”

The grin fell. The figure raised its upper lip in a snarl, backing up.

“Jackie,” Gabriel smiled, warm hands on either side of Jack's face, trying to ground him. “You were just standing here, completely zoned out. Are you alright?”

But Jack was barely paying attention to Gabriel. The figure was still there, observing them, until it looked away from Jack, focusing completely on Gabriel. He saw the grin return, splitting its face like a crack through glass.

“No!”

Jack's unwanted guest raised a finger to its lips.

“Jack!” Gabriel whipped his head around. “What's wrong?”

“I said no!” Jack's voice cracked. “Leave him be!”

From beneath the cloak it drew a knife, blade obsidian, catching the light. Jack predicted the wrist movement, and tackled Gabriel to the ground as the weapon sailed above them. They hit the floor hard. Gabriel shouted while Jack frantically looked around, ready to retaliate if needed, but his target was gone. There was no knife either, and it was just he and Gabriel in the hall, with Jack on top of… _oh shit._

Jack scrambled to stand, and quickly offered Gabriel a hand. He definitely hadn't intended to be in that position in that way, and was already blushing like his insides were on fire. “Fuck. I'm so sorry Gabriel. I didn't hurt you, did I?”

Gabriel allowed Jack to help him up, and instead of getting angry, which he had every right to be, he got closer, caressing Jack's cheek with his fingertips. Jack let out a small gasp as Gabriel's touch climbed upward to card through his hair. “Talk to me. Who did you see?”

“I…” Jack stepped back, pulling away from Gabriel's touch. He raised his injured arm to see it glowing through the protective sleeve.

“Please.” Gabriel's voice was firm, and he placed a hand over Jack's forearm. “Who did you see.”

“I don't know.” Jack shook his head. “I don't fucking know. I couldn't see their face. They had a hood, and a cloak on and, uh, dark lips, long hair, and… they wanted to hurt you. Threw a knife at you. That's why we ended up on the floor. Whoever they were smelled like death. Not fresh though. It was stale, lingering. I… I think they were Tenebrel, but I don't know the language well enough to be sure.”

Gabriel's brow shot up and he stared at Jack's arm. He hadn't let Jack go. He was shaking.

“Gabe? You're scaring me.”

“You heard him…”

“Him? And yes.”

Gabriel growled. “Tenebrel bastard.”

“Gabriel,” Jack put a hand under his boyfriend's chin. “This wasn't from one of your nightmares, was it?”

“No.”

“Who did I see?”

“It doesn't make sense…” He pressed his fingers into his forehead. “It doesn't make any fucking sense.”

“Would you tell me what's going on?”

“I will when I figure it out Jack,” Gabriel snapped. He quickly recoiled after realizing his tone. “I’m sorry.”

“It's okay.”

“It's not. None of this is. By your description it sounds like you saw the Tenebrel Harbinger, a being you should have had zero chance in a frigid hell in meeting. Was this the first time you've ever seen him?”

“Yes.”

Gabriel tugged at his curls, pacing in front of Jack. “Hades. Is Ludwig still on the ship?”

“I am afraid not Captain. Only crew members are present.”

“Okay. Are we still in range of the station?”

“Negative sir. Sombra has set course for Xernas II.”

“Of course she did…"

"Shall I reverse course Captain?"

"No. Continue ahead. Thanks Hades.”

Jack stepped into Gabriel's space, wrapping his arms around his waist. Gabriel leaned back into Jack's embrace, and Jack set his chin on Gabriel's shoulder. “We both need to calm down.”

Gabriel nodded.

They stood like that for a while, trying to beat back their distress together. Jack was elated that Gabriel at least trusted him enough to accept his offer of comfort, to allow him in even a little.

“I don't know what this means Jack,” Gabriel spoke softly.

“That I saw him?”

“No,” Gabriel laced his fingers with Jack's, “that he saw you.”

Jack squeezed, “It has something to do with my injury, doesn't it?” The glow had stopped, allowing his wound to be masked again by the sleeve. Jack knew his existence was unprecedented.

“I wish I knew,” Gabriel lifted their hands to kiss Jack's. “And it terrifies me that I don't.”

There was more Gabriel wasn't saying. Whether or not he knew the Harbinger personally or by reputation, Jack didn't know, but he seemed like someone Gabriel didn't want Jack to physically encounter. Jack had, of course, tangled with a few too many volatile and dangerous beings in his bounty hunter days, and could absolutely hold his own in combat. However, if the Harbinger was anything like Venator Weir in terms of power, then he could understand where Gabriel's concern stemmed from.

“It'll be alright,” Jack said.

“You don’t know that.”

“No, but I can hedge my bets. I've got you, I've got me, and I've got the rest of the crew to count on. I'm better off than you think.”

Silence fell between them. Then, the sound of their breathing, the sound of their hearts.

“You're right. You're absolutely right.” Gabriel lifted Jack's arm and guided him in a twirl. He pushed Jack against the wall, pressing his back into it, and pinned him there with his body.

Jack immediately felt a spike of arousal, soaking in Gabriel’s warmth, as he took hold of Jack's hips. “Gabe.”

“Shh,” Gabriel said. “I owe you something.”

Jack melted when Gabriel's lips met his own; soft, yet forceful, beard rough against Jack's chin as Gabriel kissed him with more passion than he was expecting for their first real one. Jack wasn't complaining though. He placed a hand on the back of Gabriel's neck, keeping him close as he returned the kiss, showing Gabriel how much he’d wanted this.

“Mmm, you taste like confectioners sugar,” Gabriel said, quickly kissing Jack a few more times.

“I'd make a terrible joke here, but I'm afraid you'd never want to kiss me again,” Jack said with a wry smile.

“I don't know. This is something I could get used to.”

“Me too.”

“Jack,” Gabriel said, pulling away. “I know there's more you want.” Jack wasn't the only one who'd gotten hard. “I do too. It's difficult not to want when I’m close to you...”

“But,” Jack supplied, “you're not ready.”

“Yeah. I have some concerns.” He paused. “That sounded bad. They're not about you.”

“We can talk about them when you're ready. It's okay Gabriel, really. As much as I'd like to be intimate with the hottest body in the galaxy,” he was glad Gabriel chuckled there, “I'm more interested in us, in what we are, and what we could be. There's no pressure, no expectations. Trust me on that. I just want you in any way you'll have me.”

“Thank you, Jack. I mean it. We still on for dinner?” Gabriel asked.

“Definitely. Do you want to cook or make use of those permanent reservations from your ‘definitely not father but may as well be’?”

“I haven't decided.” Gabriel held out a hand. “But I will.”

Jack gladly took it. “I look forward to your choice, and spending more time with you.”

“On that subject, did you want to go up to the observation deck while we're able to do so?”

“You mean before something goes wrong?” Jack smirked. “Let's go. Lead the way, Captain.”

“You don't have to call me that.” Gabriel knocked his shoulder against Jack’s. “For you, I'm just Gabe.”

That was fine with Jack. More than fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh sorry this one took so long to get done. Life's been real busy. Let me know if you guys see any errors.
> 
> I'm probably going to try and get a few chapters of TD done next. I'd like to finish that fic this year.


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